what are the effects of als?
When the motor neurons in the brainstem are affected (bulbar ALS), the muscles used in speech and swallowing are impaired. ALS only affects muscles that are moved voluntarily (such as those in the mouth or arm) and does not impact those muscles involved in involuntary movements, such as digestion.
ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. A-myo-trophic comes from the Greek language.