Sensory nerve disturbance in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common motor neuron disorder, characterized by the selective degeneration of upper and lower motor neurons. The common clinical symptoms of ALS are caused by the degeneration and dysfunction of motor neurons. With the progression of our understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease, an increasing number of extramotor phenotypes have been linked to ALS. It has long been believed that sensory neurons localized in the dorsal root ganglia are not involved in ALS. In addition, sensory nerve injury can clearly be considered as an important basis that does not support the diagnosis of ALS. However, accumulating evidence has revealed abnormalities in sensory neurons in both ALS patients and mouse models. This review summarizes the discoveries related to sensory nerve disturbance in ALS, which may provide insightful information that will help us better diagnose and understand the disease.