I have a fairly hefty number of Google alerts set up, and because of that, I read a lot about potential cures and treatments for neurological diseases. In the past month, some potentially exciting news has hit the Internet.

Since many neurological diseases have complicated or unknown causes, scientists may have struck gold when they find the cause for one of them. That seems to be the case for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), quite possibly the worst neurological condition you can develop (although arguments can be made that Huntington’s is just as bad or worse).

For ALS, researchers recently were able to locate the protein responsible for motor neuron death. Being able to find it could be the first step in finding treatments or medications to cure it.

In equally interesting news, Australian researchers have been able to use ultrasound technology (a non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical treatment) to clear out the plaques that have been shown to cause the memory loss in Alzheimer’s disease. Check out the story here.

There are also regular reports on advancements in understanding multiple sclerosis, stroke, and other common neurological diseases. Here’s hoping a lot of the scientists working on these treatments have “find a cure” on their New Year’s Resolutions list. “Get a cure” is always on mine.

In health,
Mariska