Former President George W. Bush took the Ice Bucket Challenge, and challenged former President Bill Clinton to do it next.
The viral Ice Bucket Challenge campaign has raised more than $40 million for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, to the ALS Association, which will go toward finding treatments and a cure for ALS as well as for providing support to people with the disease.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. ALS attacks the motor neurons that provide voluntary movements and muscle power, according to the ALS Association.
The exact cause of ALS has not yet been determined but glutamate poisoning is a popular theory suggested by researchers at Johns Hopkins University. Glutamate is an amino acid that acts as a neurotransmitter, allowing motor neurons to communicate with one another. Glutamate is supposed to be cleaned by a cell membrane protein after transmitting a message. Researchers suggest ALS patients don’t have enough of that protein.
Glutamate clogs the space between the nerve endings, causing motor neurons to degenerate over time. As motor neurons degenerate, they can no longer send impulses to the muscle fibers, causing muscles to atrophy.
Initial symptoms of ALS often include increasing muscle weakness, especially the arms and legs. Patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed.
This animation explains how ALS affects the human body.
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