Do animal models of ALS or other neurodegenerative diseases accurately represent human symptomology and brain pathology?
A. Not exactly. A post-doc in my lab once told a famous neuroscientist, “Well, maybe humans are a poor model of the mouse disease!” But they’re the most accepted model available and can teach us many things. Q. Are there other substances that may be important in preventing the development of these diseases? A. We know from epidemiological studies that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may be protective in some forms of neurodegeneration. For example, people who have arthritis and take an NSAID or other antiinflammatory drug have a much lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Paired-twin studies yielded similar results. People with elevated uric acid, such as those with gout, have a much lower incidence of multiple sclerosis, and scientists have found similar correlations for Parkinson’s disease. Q. If some of these substances reduce the risk for these diseases, does that suggest that they also may be useful in slowing the progression or even reversing the disease? A. That’s been studied
