It’s MND Awareness day on 21st June 2023

What is MND?

Motor neurone disease, often known as MND, is a condition that affects the motor neurones of the nervous system. The brain and spinal cord include these nerves, which assist in directing your muscles.

If you have MND, your mobility will be compromised, and a variety of symptoms are likely to appear.

MND, also known as motor neurone disease, causes the motor neurones to eventually stop sending messages to the muscles. Your ability to walk, talk, eat, drink, and breathe may be affected as a result of the muscles becoming weaker, stiffer, and wasting away. Thought and attitude changes can occur for some people as well, although each person is affected by the illness in their own unique way. Not everyone will experience every symptom or in the same order. Additionally, the rate at which the symptoms advance makes it challenging to forecast how the condition will develop.

MND causes life to be shortened and has no known cure. Although the illness will worsen, symptoms can be controlled to help people live as comfortably as possible. (www.mndassociation.org, n.d.).

A short video about MND.

Different types of MND

The most prevalent type of motor neurone disease (MND) is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), however there are other forms as well.

In the UK, we use the term motor neurone disease (MND) to refer to all variations of the illness. The general name for ALS is used in the USA. (www.mndassociation.org, n.d.).

ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

The most typical MND variant is this one. Muscle loss, weakness, fasciculations, difficulties speaking and swallowing, and muscle spasms are all symptoms of ALS.

(PMA) Progressive muscle atrophy

Compared to ALS, this kind of MND is less frequent and tends to advance more slowly. Muscle spasms are not experienced by those with PMA. Some PMA sufferers later develop ALS.

Progressive bulbar palsy (PBP)

PBP is a type of motor neuron disease (MND) that mostly affects the muscles in the tongue, face, and throat, making it difficult to speak, swallow, cough, and clear the throat. People may laugh or cry for no apparent reason as a result of PBP, which can also influence how emotions are expressed. We refer to this as emotional lability.

PLS, or primary lateral sclerosis

This is a highly unusual occurrence. It is this kind of MND in which individuals have spasticity but no muscle atrophy or fasciculations. (bgdteam, 2022).

How prevalent is MND?

Up to 5,000 persons in the UK are currently living with MND. A lifetime risk of developing MND is one in 300. Adults of any age can be affected, but those over 50 are more likely to be affected. (www.mndassociation.org, n.d.).

MND does not occur any more or less in any one culture, ethnicity or gender. Anyone can be affected by this disease.

How does MND affect people?

Signs and Symptoms

It’s important to note that symptoms of motor neurone disease happen gradually, and may not be obvious at first.

Early signs and symptoms can include such things as:

weakness in your ankle or leg – you might trip, or find it harder to climb stairs.
slurred speech, which may develop into difficulty swallowing some foods.
a weak grip – you might drop things, or find it hard to open jars or do up buttons.
muscle cramps and twitches.
weight loss – your arms or leg muscles may have become thinner over time.
difficulty stopping yourself from crying or laughing in inappropriate situations. (NHS Choices, 2021).

The main symptoms of MND can include:

muscle wasting (this is often first noticed in the muscles in one hand, or in one arm or leg)
muscle weakness (it might be difficult to open bottles or jars, carry heavy objects, or climb stairs)
fasciculations (involuntary contractions of part of a muscle, often felt as flickers of movement or small twitches just under the skin)
speech problems
swallowing problems and excessive saliva (drooling)
cramps and muscle spasms (spasticity)
In the later stages of MND, the muscles weaken in the chest, back and neck and people experience difficulties with breathing.
(bgdteam, 2022).

Investigations

People typically consult their general practitioner (GP) when they first start to experience symptoms, who can then send them to a neurologist or other expert. Doctors typically conduct a battery of tests and investigations to determine whether MND is present.

As part of the approach, it is necessary to rule out other illnesses whose symptoms resemble those of MND. A thorough neurological examination and review of your medical history are required in the early stages of MND diagnosis.

EMG: Electromyography

The degree of injury to the motor neurones that send signals to a specific muscle is assessed using an EMG. The amount of muscle nerve impulse activity is measured using tiny needles.

You can also assess the speed at which signals (nerve impulses) are moving along nerves to specific muscles using a form of the EMG test known as a nerve conduction test. Any anomalies are examined in the results.

Trans cranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

A specialised magnetic coil is used during a TMS examination to assess the activity of the higher motor neurones in the brain.

Any anomalies are examined in the results.

MRI scan

Using powerful magnetic fields and radio waves, an MRI scan (Magnetic Resonance Imaging scan) creates precise images of the brain and spinal cord.

The scan cannot determine if you have MND, but it can assist doctors in ruling out other illnesses that might be the source of your symptoms.

Blood test

Blood tests are done to rule out other disorders that could be causing your symptoms, such as kidney or liver disease, issues with the thyroid gland, or inflammatory conditions like lupus. Blood testing cannot establish whether you have MND. (bgdteam, 2022).

Treatment

Whilst there is no known cure for MND there is research being carried out into treatments for the disease. The MND Association has assembled a Taskforce of specialists from many fields to concentrate on ensuring that those suffering from MND have access to cutting-edge medical procedures.

The MND Access to Treatments Taskforce is now focusing on identifying access barriers and ways to overcome them. Taskforce members meet on a regular basis. (www.mndassociation.org, n.d.).

You can read more about this on the MND association website via the following link - https://www.mndassociation.org/research/the-mnd-access-to-treatments-taskforce

Useful Links

If you would like to know more about MND, how you can get in touch with support, or if you would like more information on fundraising for MND, then have a look at the links below for more information.

https://www.mndassociation.org/

https://www.brainandspine.org.uk/health-information/fact-sheets/motor-neurone-disease/

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/motor-neurone-disease/

https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/conditions/motor-neurone-disease#toc-4