The role of excitotoxicity in mediating distal axonal degneration in ALS

肌萎缩性侧索硬化症（ALS）是运动神经元疾病的主要病因，是一种无法治愈的毁灭性疾病。在了解肌萎缩侧索硬化症的病理方面已经取得了重大进展，但我们仍然不知道是什么原因导致脊髓运动神经元死亡。我们有新的证据表明，肌萎缩侧索硬化症可能部分是由脊髓神经元的兴奋毒性或过度刺激引起的。我们将使用一系列尖端的实验模型来跟踪这一线索。

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the major cause of motor neuron disease, is a devastating diseasse for which there is no cure. There have been significant advances in understanding the pathology of ALS yet we still don’t know what causes the dying back of spinal motor neurons. We have new evidence that suggests that ALS may, in part, be caused by excitotoxcity - or over stimulation - of neurons in the spinal cord. We will follow this lead using a range of cutting edge experimental models.