Recently, a group of researchers have unveiled the mysterious mechanism of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ASL), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The revelation has been made by Northwestern researchers.

The team has revealed that the Lou Gehrig's disease is caused because of breakdown of cellular recycling systems in the neurons of spinal cord and the brain of ASL patients. This breakdown hinders in transferring signals to the brain.

This is for the first time when the mechanism of ASL has been found. Dr. Teepu Siddique, a Neuroscientist with Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine said, “This is the first time we could connect [ALS] to a clear-cut biomedical mechanism. It has really made the direction we have to take very clear and sharp. We can now test for drugs that would regulate this protein pathway or optimize it, so it functions as it should in a normal state”.

The researchers are hopeful that the findings of the study would help in creating an effective treatment for ASL. Moreover, the findings can be used to treat other neurological diseases like dementia and Alzheimer. It is estimated that every year about 30,000 Americans succumb to ASL and most of them dies within three years of diagnosis.