Neurobiologists from the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research proved that excitability protects motor neurons from degeneration in amyotropic lateral sclerosis, a rare neurodegenerative disease.
By modulating excitability researchers could influence the rate of motor dysfunction and muscle denervation, and slow the progression rate of the disease.
This is important because it points to a possible way to delay the progression of this so far incurable disease.
Their results are published online in Neuron.