| Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) |
| Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive wasting away of certain nerve cells of the brain and spinal column called motor neurons. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is one of a group of diseases known as motor neuron diseases. The symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis are caused by the death of motor neurons in the spinal cord and brain. |
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| Post-polio syndrome |
| Post-polio syndrome (PPS) is a condition that strikes survivors of the disease polio. Polio is a disease caused by the poliovirus. Post polio syndrome (PPS) affects people who have had the poliomyelitis virus, or polio, anywhere from 10 to 40 years before. PPS is believed to be caused by the death of individual nerve terminals in the motor units that remain after the initial polio attack. |
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| Spinal muscular atrophy |
| Spinal muscular atrophy is a degenerative problem that affects the spinal cord and nerves, resulting in muscle wasting and weakness. Spinal muscular atrophy is a genetic disease characterized by progressive loss of lower motor neurons (anterior horn cells) in the spinal cord, resulting in symmetric muscle weakness and atrophy. Spinal muscular atrophy is the second leading cause of neuromuscular disease. |