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Previous Volume 355:1611-1613 October 12, 2006 Number 15 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a disease characterized by the selective degeneration of motor neurons. The only known genetic cause of the disease, which accounts for about 2% of cases, is a mutation in the gene encoding superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) protein. Therefore, the effect of mutant SOD1 has been intensely studied, with emphasis on the question of whether it causes cell-autonomous degeneration of motor neurons or, rather, compromises the function of other types of cells in the spinal cord (such as astrocytes and microglia), which, in turn, damages neurons. A recent study by Boillee et al.¹ sheds some light . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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From the Department of Neuroscience, McKnight Brain Institute, SantaFe Health Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, University of Florida, Gainesville.

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