Motor neuron diseases, or simply neuron disease, are a group of conditions that cause the nerves in the spine and brain to progressively lose function. They’re a rare but serious and incurable form of progressive neurodegeneration.
Motor neurons are nerve cells that send off electrical output signals to the muscles, effecting the muscles’ ability to function. Motor neuron disease (MND) can appear at any age; however, most patients are over 40 years old at diagnosis. It affects men more than women though.
The most common type, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), probably affects around 30,000 Americans at any given time, with over 5,000 diagnosis every year.
