This particular gene may be responsible for a third of inherited ALS cases.
This finding could help scientists develop new animal models that may lead to new treatments for ALS and other fatal neurological disorders.
The newly discovered mutation was found in almost 12 percent of people with familial fatal neurological disorders and more than 22 percent of familial ALS cases studied.
Researchers say this is exciting because the finding has the potential to lead to significant insights into how both of these neurodegenerative diseases develop.
