It has been unveiled that researchers have found the mechanism of as to how amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) reduces patient’s ability to move, talk, swallow and breathe. The Northwestern researchers have identified that the breakdown of cellular recycling systems in the neurons of the spinal cord and brain causes hindrance in transferring signals to brains.

Dr. Teepu Siddique, a neuroscientist with Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine said, “This is the first time we could connect [ALS] to a clear-cut biomedical mechanism. It has really made the direction we have to take very clear and sharp. We can now test for drugs that would regulate this protein pathway or optimize it, so it functions as it should in a normal state”.

For long the mechanism of disease was a mystery. But with the efforts of Northwestern researchers it would become a little easier for scientists to understand it and to create an effective medicine for treating ASL.

It is estimated that ALS affects about 350,000 people all over the world which includes children and adults. Moreover, half of the ASL patient dies within three years of diagnosis. The researchers are of the view that the findings could play a greater role in treating other neurodegenerative diseases, including dementia and Parkinson's disease.