6/16/23 - Elie Naddaf, MD, meets with Nicholas Maragakis, MD to discuss the ALS treatment landscape.   21 minutes

9/3/2020- Dr. Ibanez interviews Dr. Elliott on rehabilitative approaches to ALS patients  while also highlighting his article on eye-controlled, power wheelchairs for ALS patients.   20 minutes

 6/22/2017-   Dr. Justin Willer interviews Dr. Yuebing Li about optimizing muscle selection for electromyography in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He was part of a group that compared the yield of limb and thoracic paraspinal muscle examination for revealing lower motor neuron (LMN) dysfunction on electromyography (EMG) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Distal limb muscles showed the highest electrodiagnostic sensitivities of LMN dysfunction in ALS regardless of onset region and diagnostic certainty at the time of diagnosis. Electrodiagnostic yield is higher in muscles from the onset limb. Noncontiguous spread of lower motor neuron degeneration is present in ALS. Optimally selected 6 upper and 5 lower extremity muscles yielded >98% of potential positive cervical or lumbosacral segments. An algorithmic approach to needle EMG in ALS based on pretest probability of individual muscles optimizes electrodiagnostic yield, thus possibly minimizing test duration and patient discomfort. Muscle Nerve. 2016 Oct 19. doi: 10.1002/mus.25444.

11/28/2016-   Dr. Ted Burns interviews Dr. Michael Benatar about his article, Presymptomatic ALS genetic counseling and testing: Experience and recommendations. Remarkable advances in our understanding of the genetic contributions to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have sparked discussion and debate about whether clinical genetic testing should routinely be offered to patients with ALS. A related, but distinct, question is whether presymptomatic genetic testing should be offered to family members who may be at risk for developing ALS. Existing guidelines for presymptomatic counseling and testing are mostly based on small number of individuals, clinical judgment, and experience from other neurodegenerative disorders. Over the course of the last 8 years, we have provided testing and 317 genetic counseling sessions (including predecision, pretest, posttest, and ad hoc counseling) to 161 first-degree family members participating in the Pre-Symptomatic Familial ALS Study (Pre-fALS), as well as testing and 75 posttest counseling sessions to 63 individuals with familial ALS. Based on this experience, and the real-world challenges we have had to overcome in the process, we recommend an updated set of guidelines for providing presymptomatic genetic counseling and testing to people at high genetic risk for developing ALS. These recommendations are especially timely and relevant given the growing interest in studying presymptomatic ALS. Neurology. 2016 Jun 14;86(24):2295-302

8/11/2015-  Noah Kolb, MD, interviews Neil Simon, MBBS, BSc, FRACP, about his article on patterns of clinical and electrodiagnostic abnormalities in early ALS, published in Muscle and Nerve with Drs. Lomen-Hoerth and Kiernan. Drs. Kolb and Simon discuss the distribution of clinical and neurophysiological abnormalities in patients with early ALS. Clinical and electrodiagnostic data were collected from 150 ALS patients and analyzed based on the clinical region of onset. Findings suggest a pattern of disease spread in ALS. This study may serve to guide ongoing development of disease quantitation biomarkers and the targeting of future neuroprotective strategies. Muscle Nerve 50: 894–899, 2014

11/21/2013-  Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and palliative care: Where we are, and the road ahead by Dr. Leslie J. Blackhall, interviewed by Dr. Michael K. Hehir. Patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have high symptom burdens, including pain, fatigue, dyspnea, and sialorrhea, and they must make difficult decisions about the use of life-prolonging therapies, such as long-term mechanical ventilation. The impact of ALS is also felt by family caregivers who often struggle to meet the heavy physical, financial, and emotional demands associated with the illness. Expert multidisciplinary care may improve both quality and length of life of patients with ALS. However, although advances have been made in the treatment of some symptoms, others, including pain management, remain poorly studied. Involvement of palliative care specialists as part of the ALS multidisciplinary team is recommended, as we continue to work toward improving the quality of life for patients and their families. Muscle Nerve, 2012. The ideas and opinions expressed are solely those of the specific authors and do not necessarily represent those of AANEM.