what do u know about ALS?  

Cognitive function is generally spared except in certain situations such as when ALS is associated with frontotemporal dementia.[1] However, there are reports of more subtle cognitive changes of the frontotemporal type in many patients when detailed neuropsychological testing is employed. Sensory nerves and the autonomic nervous system, which controls functions like sweating, generally remain functional

1850 English scientist Augustus Waller describes the appearance of shriveled nerve fibers
1869 French doctor Jean-Martin Charcot first describes ALS in scientific literature
1881 "On Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis" is translated into English and published in a three-volume edition of Lectures on the Diseases of the Nervous System
1939 ALS becomes a cause célèbre in the United States when baseball legend Lou Gehrig's career—and, two years later, his life—are ended by the disease.
1950s ALS epidemic occurs among the Chamorro people on Guam
1991 Researchers link chromosome 21 to FALS (Familial ALS)
1993 SOD1 gene on chromosome 21 found to play a role in some cases of FALS
1996 Rilutek becomes the first FDA-approved drug for ALS
1998 El Escorial is developed as the standard for confirming ALS
2001 Alsin gene on chromosome 2 found to cause ALS2

ALS is one of the most common neuromuscular diseases worldwide, and people of all races and ethnic backgrounds are affected. One to 2 people per 100,000 develop ALS each year.[2] ALS most commonly strikes people between 40 and 60 years of age, but younger and older people can also develop the disease. Men are affected slightly more often than women

Familial ALS" accounts for approximately 5%–10% of all ALS cases and is caused by genetic factors. Of these, approximately 1 in 10 are linked to a mutation in copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1), an enzyme responsible for scavenging free radicals. A recent study has identified a gene called FUS ("Fused in Sarcoma", ALS6) as being responsible for 1 in 20 cases of fALS