Motor Neurone Disease

Motor Neurone Diseases – Group of Progressive Neurological Disorder

Motor neurone diseases – MND, is the name for a rare ailment connected with a group of progressive neurological disorder that tends to damage motor neurons, which are the cell that control the necessary voluntary muscle activity like speaking, breathing, swallowing or walking. Motor neurone disease is also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – ALS, which takes place when the nerve cells in the spinal cord and the brain known as motor neurons tend to stop functioning properly affecting the muscle activities in the body. Messages from nerve cells located in the brain known as upper motor neurons tend to get transmitted to nerve cell in the brain stem and the spinal cord, called the lower motor neurons to particular muscles. From the upper motor neurons it is directed to the lower motor neurons to enable movements like walking or chewing while lower motor neurons control movements related to the arms, legs, chest throat, face and the tongue. The spinal motor neurons are also known as anterior horn cells while the upper motor neurons are called corticospinal neurons.

Disorder in Coordination between Upper/Lower Motor Neurons

When the disorder in the signals between the lowest motor neurons and the muscles takes place, the muscles fail to function properly resulting in gradual weakening and thereby develop uncontrollable twitching known as fasciculation. Disorder in the coordination between the upper motor neurons with the lower motor neurons, results in tendons reflexes like the knee and the ankle jerks getting overactive and over a period of time, the capabilities of controlling the voluntary movement could be weaken or lost. Individuals suffering from motor neurone diseases will find the normal activities difficult as the condition progress and finally may find it impossible to function normally.

Weakened Grip/Slurred Speech ……

Symptoms of this condition tends to begin gradually over weeks or months and affects only one side of the body at first and then gets worse. Early symptoms could be a weakened grip wherein the person may face difficulty in holding or picking objects, slurred speech, dragging of the leg, and weakness at the shoulder which would make lifting of the arm difficult, or a foot drop which is the result of weak ankle muscles. Though the condition is not painful, as the condition progresses, symptom may spread to the other areas of the body and eventually the person may have difficulty in movement or is unable to move. This could also affect communicating, breathing or swallowing.

Life Shortening Ailment

MND is a life shortening ailment for most of the cases and the life span could probably be three to four years when the symptoms occur, though there are few cases where some tend to live up to ten years or even longer. In most cases of MND, it could be fatal since the involvement of the breathing muscles makes the person prone to drowsiness and susceptible to chest infections. Though there is no cure for MND, treatment could be aimed at making MND patients comfortable and provide them with maximum support as well as compensate for the loss of bodily functions like communication, breathing, and mobility or swallowing.