Mechanistic finding may help develop treatment for Ice Bucket Challenge disease

Motor neuron diseases rob patients of their ability to walk, eat, talk or breathe since they affect the motor neurons controlling the muscles. Young patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) have a shortage of the survival motor neuron protein. Revealing clues about SMA, scientists have shown that fruit flies develop motor neuron disease symptoms when they blocked the construction of the cell’s machine that cuts and pastes genetic instructions.