Only a fraction of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) cases have been identified as hereditary. Only some of these cases, in turn, have been associated with mutations in a specific gene. Genetic testing can evaluate the status of this gene, called SOD1. Changes in this gene may be responsible for killing motor neurons and causing ALS. Prenatal testing of the SOD1 gene is possible; however, a negative result does not guarantee that a person will not get ALS. The test takes two or three months and costs several hundred dollars.
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