Motor Neuron Disease though most commonly used to mention one specific disease ie Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis(ALS), Motor Neuron Disease is actually a classification category that comprises all the diseases that are of motor-neurodegeneratory in nature. But Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis being the most common form of Motor Neuron Disease, it has vaguely become synonymous to its parent classification category.

Diseases Classified Under Motor Neuron Diseases

Diseases are very vaguely placed into this category with inconclusive inclusion and exclusion criteria. Following are the basic disease types that fall under this category or one can say they form this category.

• Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis(ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s Disease
• Progressive Bulbar Palsy(PBP)
• Progressive Muscular Atrophy(PMA)
• Primary Lateral Sclerosis(PLS)
• Pseudobulbar Palsy
• Monomelic Amyotrophy
• Other Rare Forms

Motor Neuron Diseases are characterised by progressive muscle weakness and degeneration of motor neuron. But as explained earlier that classification is vague, so not all motor neuron degeneratory disorders fall under this category and rather they are placed into a broader category called “Motor Neuron Disease Disorders” example Spinal Muscular Atrophies falls into this broader category.

Motor Neuron Diseases can be further differentiated based on three creterias as follows

1. Sporadic or Inherited
2. Type of Neuron Involved
3. Pattern of Muscle weakness.

1)Sporadic or Inherited

Except Familial Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis rest all are Sporadi

2) Type of Neuron Involved

There can be Involvement of neuron in three different patterns

1. Upper Motor Neuron Degeneration – Except Progressive Muscular Atrophy(PMA) all other types have UMN involvement
2. Lower Motor Neuron Degeneration – Except Primary Lateral Sclerosis, Pseudobulbar Palsy and Monomelic Amyotrophy rest all have LMN involvement.
3. Both Upper And Lower Motor Neurons Involved – Types under this category are ALS PBP(bulbar)

3)Pattern of Muscle Weakness.

Pattern of muscle weakness can be in combination of following three factors

1. Symmetric or Asymmetric
2. Proximal or Distal
3. With or Without Sensory Loss.

Based on combination of above three criterion the pattern is categorised into three major pattern of combination.

1. Asymmetric – Distal -Without Sensory Loss : ALS, PLS, PMA, MMA
2. Symetric – Without Sensory Loss : PLS, PMA
3. Symmetric Focal Midline – Proximal : ALS, PBP, PLS

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF MOTOR NEURON DISEASE

MND can present itself in children or in adults. If the onset is during childhood then it’s usually inherited and in most of the cases it is Familial Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis. In adults usually it’s found to affect after age of 40years.

Most of the cases of MND tend to progress during course of time and worsen and in many cases they are even fatal depending on type of MND, say for instance ALS is a fatal type where as PLS is not.

Motor Neuron Disease presents itself in various patterns of muscular weakness due to motor neuron degeneration which can show combination of patterns of symmetric or asymmetric, proximal or distal, focal midline or lateral, with or without sensory loss. Some of the signs and symptoms of Motor Neuron Disease are listed below.

• Muscle Wasting, Twitching, Fasciculations.
  
• Atropthy of tongue
  
• Brisk reflexes
  
• Babinski’s reflex
  
• Hoffman’s reflex
  
• Increased Muscle tone
• Difficulty in breathing, aggravated while lying down or on exertion. It may also cause respiratory failure.
• Dysphagia – Difficulty in swallowing
• Sialorrhoea – Excessive salivation
• Dysarthria – Difficulty in speaking
• Cognitive and behavioral changes like decision making, computing, word fluency, memory etc.

Common Homeopathic Medicines for Motor Neuron Disease

Homeopathic Medicine should be selected as per type of Motor Neuron Disease and it’s symptomatology.

• Plumbum Metallicum
• Strycininum
• Alumina
• Anacardium Orientale
• Baptisia Tinctoria
• Kalium Phosphoricum
• Ruta Graveolens
• Syphillinum
• Medhorrinum
• Gelsemium Sempervirens
• Thuja Occidentalis
• Cactus Grandiflorus
• Causticum