Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a disease of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movements. Jean-Marie Charcot was the first to recognize ALS as a distinct neurological disease with its own pathology. In ALS, nerve cells degenerate and deteriorate and are unable to transmit messages to the muscles. In approximately 90% of ALS cases, the cause remains unknown. Studies have focused on the responsibility of glutamate in the degeneration of motor neurons. Glutamate is one of many neurotransmitters found in the brain. Although there is no known cure for ALS, advances in medicine have allowed the development of a wide variety of medications to treat the various symptoms of ALS, as well as dietary, physical therapy, and breathing techniques. , all of which can alleviate symptoms and increase life expectancy. Description of ALS "I consider myself the luckiest man on the planet" ("Farewell", nd) These are the words spoken by Henry Louis Gehrig on July 4, 1939 at Yankee Stadium. For most of his life, Lou Gehrig had been justly lucky. Gehrig was a baseball superstar. He appeared in 7 All-Star Games and won 6 World Series titles ("All-Star Game", nd; "Lou Gehrig", nd). His record of 2,130 consecutive matches played earned him the nickname "Iron Horse". However, it is not for these achievements that Gehrig is best known. Gehrig is best known for the illness that took his career, his life, and ultimately his name. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a disease of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary movements. muscle movement (Dugdale, Koch and Zieve 2010). In ALS, nerve c...... middle of paper ......Committee. Canadian Journal of Respiratory, 18(4), 197-215. Rocha, J.A., Reis, C., Simoes, F., Fonseca, J. and Mendes Ribeiro, J. (2005). Diagnostic investigation and multidisciplinary management of motor neuron diseases. Journal of Neurology, 252(12), 1435-1447. Sapolsky, Robert (2005). “Biology and human behavior: the neurological origins of individuality, 2nd edition”. The Teaching Company. Senda, J., Kato, S., Kaga, T., Ito, M., Atsuta, N., Nakamura, T. and... Sobue, G. (2011). Progressive and widespread brain damage in ALS: MRI voxel-based morphometry and diffusion tensor imaging study. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, 12(1), 59-69. doi:10.3109/17482968.2010.517850 Zhao, PE (2008). Alterations in presymptomatic trafficking of AMPA and cannabinoid receptors in motor neurons of ALS mouse models: implications for excitotoxicity. European Journal of Neuroscience, 27(3), 572-579.