A specific RNA molecule can halt and reverse the nerve cell damage of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a study in mice suggests, a discovery that may pave the way for effective future treatments for the fatal disease. ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, affects nerve cells involved in movement and causes gradual paralysis of all muscles in the body.

The disease damages the neuromuscular junctions where nerve fibers meet muscle cells, but the mechanism underlying that damage has not been known until now, study leader Eran Perlson of Tel Aviv University said in a statement. His team had previously observed that in ALS, a toxic protein called TDP-43 accumulates at nerve/muscle junctions and damages the mitochondria, the "energy factories" of nerve cells.

In healthy people, a molecule cal

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