Trophic Factor Production by Glial Cells in the Treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease with unknown pathogenic causes. The identification of mutated genes in familial forms of ALS has lead to the development of animal models to study the mechanisms of motor neuron death. Transgenic animal models and human patients show that glutamate excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, protein aggregation and inflammation are hallmarks of the disease. Here we discuss the role of activated glial cells, specifically astrocytes and microglia on the disease pathogenesis and progression. Additionally, we discuss the current evidence showing that the induction of trophic factor production by glial cells may be an effective therapeutic strategy for the treatment of ALS.