Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterised clinically by rapidly progressive paralysis leading ultimately to death from respiratory failure. There is no cure for ALS and no definitive explanation for the onset and rapid progression of motor neuron degeneration. Genetics is a known risk factor for a portion of familial cases. However, the role of genetics in the commoner sporadic form of the disease is poorly understood, although numerous genes have ...