CONy 2020 | Potential toxins causing sporadic ALS: nitrosamines and hydrazines

Peter Spencer, PhD, FANA, FRCPath, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, discusses research investigating toxins that are similar to the cycad toxins found in Guam. Nitrosamines and hydrazines can cause cell death and are found in the toxic mushrooms false morels. A cluster of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has been found in the French Alps, which could be related to eating toxic mushrooms. By examining these cases, there is an exciting opportunity to discover the etiological factors of sporadic ALS. This interview took place during the Virtual World Congress on Controversies in Neurology (CONy) 2020.