Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Synthesis Of Research And Clinical Practice

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis A synthesis of research and clinical practice Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's disease or motoneuron disease, is one of several degenerative diseases of the ageing nervous system. Commonly affecting those in their mid-50s and beyond, it is a progressive illness resulting in death within a few years. The decade of the brain has seen an explosion in research into this particular condition, which this text neatly synthesizes to construct a detailed and comprehensive overview. From its epidemiology, molecular biology and pathophysiology right through to clinical assessment and care, Professor Eisen and Doctor Krieger use their research expertise and extensive clinical experience to provide this practical and thought-provoking account. The range of subjects covered is astonishing ... their reviews are comprehensive and sophisticated. Their writing is clear and the several controversies are given balanced reviews. The ample illustrations have been selected thoughtfully ... This book ought to appeal to practising neurologists, medical students and residents and other health care workers involved with people who have ALS. Anyone interested in ALS will find material for thought and for practice. From the Foreword by Professor L. P. Rowland. Andrew Eisen is Professor of Neurology at the University of British Columbia and Head of the Neuromuscular Diseases Unit, Vancouver General Hospital, Canada. He has a particular interest in electromyography, spinal cord disease and ALS. Past President of both the Canadian Society of Clinical Neurophysiologists and the American Association of Electrodiagnostic Medicine, he has published 120 articles in prestigious medical journals, including 29 papers devoted to ALS. In addition to authorship of this book, he is an editor of two earlier publications on spinal cord disease: Diseases of the Spinal Cord (1992) and Spinal Cord Disease: Basic Science, Diagnosis and Management (1997). Charles Krieger is Associate Professor of Neurology at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, and has been involved in the care of ALS patients for more than 15 years. During this time his extensive research studies into the cause of ALS have resulted in the publication of more than 35 important original articles. AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS A synthesis of research and clinical practice ANDREW EISEN and CHARLES KRIEGER CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, Sao Paulo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 2RU, UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521581035 © Cambridge University Press 1998 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 1998 This digitally printed first paperback version 2006 A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloguing in