MND is increasingly thought of as a disease of several aetiologies, where a complex interaction between multiple components activates a pathway which results in neuronal cell death (Cox and others 2007).
MND Australia 2011
There are many theories about mechanisms involved in the development of MND.
These include:
- genetic factors
- physical trauma
- protein aggregation
- glutamate toxicity
- mitochondrial dysfunction
- dysfunctional signalling pathways
- exposure to environmental toxins and chemicals
- free radical damage
- infection by viral agents
- immune mediated damage
- loss of growth factors required to maintain motor neurone survival
It is thought that they may act individually or in combination to cause the disease.
Research throughout the world is ongoing. This has been underpinned by the development of a number of animal models (e.g. mice, zebra fish) and by DNA and tissue banks (storing DNA, neural tissue and blood samples from people with MND and control subjects).
The use of stem cells and large-scale drug screening for potential value as treatments are developing areas of research.
