Therapeutics Targeting Skeletal Muscle in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a complex neuromuscular disease characterized by progressive motor neuron degeneration, neuromuscular junction dismantling, and muscle wasting. The pathological and therapeutic studies of ALS have long been neurocentric. However, recent insights have highlighted the significance of peripheral tissue, particularly skeletal muscle, in disease pathology and treatment. This is evidenced by restricted ALS-like muscle atrophy, which can retrogradely induce neuromuscular junction and motor neuron degeneration. Moreover, therapeutics targeting skeletal muscles can effectively decelerate disease progression by modulating muscle satellite cells for muscle repair, suppressing inflammation, and promoting the recovery or regeneration of the neuromuscular junction. This review summarizes and discusses therapeutic strategies targeting skeletal muscles for ALS treatment. It aims to provide a comprehensive reference for the development of novel therapeutics targeting skeletal muscles, potentially ameliorating the progression of ALS.

Demographic reporting across a decade of neuroimaging: a systematic review.

Diversity of participants in biomedical research with respect to race, ethnicity, and biological sex is crucial, particularly given differences in disease prevalence, recovery, and survival rates between demographic groups. The objective of this systematic review was to report on the demographics of neuroimaging studies using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The Web of Science database was used and data collection was performed between June 2021 to November 2021; all articles were reviewed independently by at least two researchers. Articles utilizing MR data acquired in the United States, with n ≥ 10 human subjects, and published between 2010-2020 were included. Non-primary research articles and those published in journals that did not meet a quality control check were excluded. Of the 408 studies meeting inclusion criteria, approximately 77% report sex, 10% report race, and 4% report ethnicity. Demographic reporting also varied as function of disease studied, participant age range, funding, and publisher. We anticipate quantitative data on the extent, or lack, of reporting will be necessary to ensure inclusion of diverse populations in biomedical research.