ALS

High school (ages 12+)
Human Body

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/als

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary pathological process?Progressive degeneration of upper and lower motor neurons
2. What is the associated cognitive impairment?Approximately 15% develop frontotemporal dementia; 50% experience cognitive/behavioral changes
3. What is ALS and why does it make muscles hard to move?ALS is a disease that hurts the nerves that tell muscles how to work. It makes muscles stiff, twitch, weak, and sometimes shrink.
4. How does ALS affect breathing and why might someone need a machine?ALS can damage the nerves that control the breathing muscles. When those muscles get weak, a breathing machine can help keep the person safe.

Neurodegeneration: The progressive loss of structure or function of neurons, leading to their death.
Frontotemporal Dementia: A group of disorders caused by progressive nerve cell loss in the brain's frontal lobes or temporal lobes.
Fasciculations: Involuntary, brief, twitching of a small portion of a muscle or group of muscles.