MND

What Is MND

MND And The Nervous System

Motor Neurone Disease destroys specific nerve cells in the body that carry the signals from the brain to muscles, thse nerve cells are called motor neurones. The nerves form a branch network throughout the body and as MND progresses the branches begin to die so the signals no longer reach muscles, which progressively stop working and then waste away. The muscles most often affected could be in the legs and arms and sometimes include those needed to talk, eat, drink and swallow. The five senses, touch, taste, sight, smell and hearing are not affected by MND and neither are muscles like the heart and stomach.

MND Facts

Motor Neurone Disease is not infectious. Over 120 people develop MND in Scotland every year. The symptoms of MND vary in different ways depending on the job of the damaged motor neurones in the body. There are four common forms of Motor Neurone Disease but people with MND will often experience considerable overlap amoung the symptoms of each form as the disease progresses. However, MND affects every individual differently and the rate of progression can also vary. There is no current cure or known cause of MND.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

ALS is the most common form of MND, and is characterised by muscle weakness and stiffness, over-active reflexes and rapidly changing emotions. The motor neurones that carry messages to make the arms and legs to move are affected; as a result the limbs cease to work properly causing paralysis. ALS is the term most commonly applied to MND in the USA.

Some Common Questions

What Are The Symptoms Of MND?

Early symptoms can include twitching muscles, weakness and loss of weight. Loss of mobility occurs if neurones in the legs and arms are damaged. Drinking, eating and talking can become increasingly difficult when the neurones serving the mouth and throat are affected. Muscls weakened by MND do not recover, but there may be periods of weeks or months where the illness does not seem to progress.

What is Not Affected?

MND is not a mental illness, in a few cases however some people may find their intellect and memory affected. It does not normally affect the 5 senses (touch, taste, sight, smell and hearing), feeling in the affected limbs remains normal. Incontinence is rare, reduced mobility however, may disturb bowel and bladder function as the illness progresses. Sexual desire and function are not directly affected.

How Is MND Treated?

Some people with MND find a drug called Riluzole slows the preogress of their illness. Symptoms can be treated with medical treatment, specialised equipment and psychological support. Apart from these measures there is no specific treatment for MND.

Is MND Hereditary?

Five to ten percent of all MND cases are known to be inherited and more than 24 different genes have been implicated in different kinds of MND to date. Research into different genes have been implicated indifferent kinds of MND to date. Research into the inherited forms of MND is the single largest area of MND research at the moment as it is easier to track down genetic mutations when they are shared by more than one person with the same illness within a family since they probably share the same mutation. Finding genetic mutations within unrelated people is very difficult at present as they may all have different mutations to the same gene, or to different genes.

What Has research Achieved?

Research to find a cause and cure for MND is gathering pace around the world. Drug trials are generally laboratory base, although some projects have moved on to clinical trials with human volunteers. Stem cell therapy treatments are being investigated, however stem cells would need to be inserted directly into the nervous system to be effective since injections of nerve stem cells into the bloodstream are unable to cross into the nervous system. Assumin stem cells could be placed into the nervous system it is not yet known how to encourage them to start to grow and even less is known about how to ensure they connect every muscle fibre to the appropriate part of the brain which controls that muscle.

This text has been reproducedfrom literature supplied by the Scottish Motor Nureone Disease Association.

6 replies on “MND”

how can it be that my 2 uncles died within 2 months of each other with mnd one from head down the other from feet up, now their sister my aunt has been diagnosed with slow mnd???????????? I their niece have had problems for 2 years elevated ck readings 6000 for weeks on end and muscle agonising pains, dizziness excess saliva when speaking etc etc etc,blinkered by having emphysema from 23 years of age COPD and having had a pleurectomy procedure for collapsed lung. I just want to know why 2 generations got this mnd issue, my father who has outlived all his siblings has been diagnosed with altzheimers, but i beg to differ on his diagnosis as he has extreme crying episodes and severe depression…………… mnd by any chance??????????????????????? please can anyone help with any answers????????????????

hi my name is shire lawrie and have lost three members of my family to mnd, my grandmother in 1988, my uncle in 2004 and my aunt in 2009. my grandmother lived with it for a good few years and it started from her feet up but both my uncle and my aunt it was from the upper part of the body in the arms. my mother has just turned 73 and is fighting fit thankfully so what is the chances of myself developing mnd as it was her mother, half brother and sister who all died from it and I myself have 3 sons so am obviously worried for them as I am at present am going for a blood test as I seem to be experiencing worrying symptoms in my arms and legs could you please give me your view on this as I am worried sick, I cared for my aunt throughout her illness and there is no way I will put myself or my family through that again.

yours
shiree

Hi my mum got diagnosed 23rd August this year,we had in incline as her symptoms had been going on since 2011(ie.her speech was affected) but she was being treated for mini strokes initially.Then her mobility got worse and fall after fall occurred..She is currently in hospital at this moment after a fall,and within two weeks a feeding tube inserted after numerous choking on texture b diet,she’s now under going the PEG operation tomorrow..How can this disease progress so quickly?Please can there be more donations into this horrendous disease for more knowledge and a cure ASAP.

Hi Ross,was trying to get in touch last year with my post about my mum,she has sadly passed away September 01/09/2014..was just wanting to know as a family is there anything we can do to fund raise?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *