Analysis of post mortem brain tissue at day 110 of SOD1 (G93A) mice.

<p>In 5 of 12 animals there was a glial scar visible above the right ventricle as it was shown by GFAP staining. Rectangle in the left picture is showed enlarged on the right side. Scale bar 500 µm.</p

Alginate encapsulated GLP-1 producing mesenchymal cells.

<p>(A) Encapsulation with alginate leads to GLP-1 MSC capsules with a mean diameter of 161 µm. (B) GLP-1, oxygen and nutrients are able to pass the alginate barrier, but the cells are protected against the hosts’ immune system.</p

Immunhistological analysis of MAP2 in spinal cord tissue of SOD1 (G93A) mice.

<p>Staining against microtubule associated protein 2 was stronger in animals treated with GLP-1 (GLP-1 MSC) compared to vehicle treated controls (vehicle). Scale bar 100 µm.</p

Effects of GLP-1 treatment on rotarod performance and footprint analyses.

<p>Presymptomatic GLP-1 treatment (GLP-1 MSC) improved rotarod performance (A), step length (B) and runtime (C) compared to vehicle controls (vehicle). Data are mean ± SEM of 8 (5♀/3♂) (control) and 10 (6♀/4♂) (GLP-1) treated animals. Two-way ANOVA, followed by Bonferroni post-test. (*) p<0.05; (**) p<0.01; (***) p<0.001.</p

(a+b): The CDA component (original data in a, mean values in b) as depicted from electrodes P3/4.

<p>Both groups showed the typical load effect, i.e. higher (more negative) amplitudes in the higher load condition. In all conditions, patients displayed smaller CDA amplitudes than controls. Grey background color in a) marks the time window used for statistical analyses of the CDA.</p

International Survey of ALS Experts about Critical Questions for Assessing Patients with ALS

<p><i>Objective</i>: To define an applicable dataset for ALS patient registries we weighted specific clinical items as scored by worldwide ALS experts. <i>Methods</i>: Sixty participants were invited based on relevant clinical work, publications and personal acquaintance. They rated 160 clinical items consensually agreed by the members of our project, incorporating specialists from five European Centres. Scoring scheme was defined as: 1 – essential; 2 – important; 3 – not very important. A mixed effect model was applied to rank items and to find possible correlations with geographical region (Europe vs. outside Europe). <i>Results</i>: We received 40 responses, 20 from Europe and 20 from outside; 42/160 data were scored as essential by >50% of the respondents, including: date of birth, gender, date of disease onset, date of diagnosis, ethnicity, region of onset, predominant upper neuron (UMN) or lower motor neuron (LMN) impairment, proximal versus distal weakness, respiratory symptoms, dysarthria, weight loss, signs of LMN/UMN involvement, emotional incontinence, cognitive changes, respiratory signs, neck weakness, body mass index, ALSFRS-R at entry, ALSFRS-R subscores at entry, timing and pattern of spreading and staging, electromyography, spirometry, MRI, CK level, riluzole intake, genetic background, history of physical exercise and previous and current main occupation. Four components were scored as non-relevant, including place of birth, blood pressure and pain at onset. There was no significant difference between regions (European vs. non-European countries). <i>Conclusions</i>: Our study identified a consensual set of clinical data with 42 specific items that can be used as a minimal data set for patient registers and for clinical trials.</p

Schematic presentation of the paradigm.

<p>Subjects had to memorize the colors of the circles presented in the cued visual hemifield. After a delay they had to decide whether the single test circle’s color matched that of one of the earlier stimuli. Memory load varied between two and four colors that had to be kept in mind.</p

Mean slow wave amplitudes from electrodes ipsi- vs contralateral to the attended visual hemifield.

<p>Mean slow wave amplitudes from electrodes ipsi- vs contralateral to the attended visual hemifield.</p

Behavioral data for the patients and their controls.

<p>Both groups made more errors and responded slower in the high than the low load condition and both groups were slightly faster in the second session. No group differences were observed in any condition.</p

Age and education-matched cut-off scores for the revised German/Swiss-German version of ECAS

<p>The Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioural ALS Screen (ECAS) has been developed to assess cognition and behaviour in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Cognitive impairments of ALS-specific and ALS-non-specific functions can be determined using cut-off scores based on performance of healthy subjects. However, detailed analyses show that older healthy subjects perform worse than younger ones, whereas highly-educated individuals perform better than those with lower education levels. As a consequence, this study presents new age and education matched cut-off scores for the revised German/Swiss-German version of the ECAS based on the performance of 86 healthy subjects.</p