ALS nerve damage can occur without TDP-43 protein clumps

ALS nerve damage can occur without TDP-43 protein clumps

A specific alteration in the TDP-43 protein can reduce the viability of nerve cells in a lab model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), causing problems with energy generation and molecular transport within the cell, a new study finds. Notably, however, researchers found that this mutation does not cause TDP-43 protein to form abnormal clumps in nerve cells — suggesting that these clumps, which have been considered a key molecular driver of A…