Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42141072›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2026

Axonal dying back of upper motor neurons in human ALS.

Haley C Cropper, Fozia Mir, Jianguo Liu, Fabien Dachet, Vidushi R Srivastava, Mohammed Ramizuddin, Kylie Kopecky, Ebony Mocanu, Qin Li Jiang, Madhu Soni and 5 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Haley C CropperDepartment of Neurology and Rehabilitation, The University of Illinois at Chicago, 912 S. Wood Street, IL, 60612, Chicago, USA.
Fozia MirDepartment of Neurology and Rehabilitation, The University of Illinois at Chicago, 912 S. Wood Street, IL, 60612, Chicago, USA.
Jianguo LiuDepartment of Neurology and Rehabilitation, The University of Illinois at Chicago, 912 S. Wood Street, IL, 60612, Chicago, USA.
Fabien DachetDepartment of Neurology and Rehabilitation, The University of Illinois at Chicago, 912 S. Wood Street, IL, 60612, Chicago, USA.
Vidushi R SrivastavaDepartment of Neurology and Rehabilitation, The University of Illinois at Chicago, 912 S. Wood Street, IL, 60612, Chicago, USA.
Mohammed RamizuddinDepartment of Neurology and Rehabilitation, The University of Illinois at Chicago, 912 S. Wood Street, IL, 60612, Chicago, USA.
Kylie KopeckyDepartment of Neurology and Rehabilitation, The University of Illinois at Chicago, 912 S. Wood Street, IL, 60612, Chicago, USA.
Ebony MocanuDepartment of Neurology and Rehabilitation, The University of Illinois at Chicago, 912 S. Wood Street, IL, 60612, Chicago, USA.
Qin Li JiangDepartment of Neurology and Rehabilitation, The University of Illinois at Chicago, 912 S. Wood Street, IL, 60612, Chicago, USA.
Madhu SoniDepartment of Neurological Sciences, Rush University, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
Tibor Valyi-NagyDepartment of Pathology, The University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
Diana MnatsakanovaDepartment of Neurology and Rehabilitation, The University of Illinois at Chicago, 912 S. Wood Street, IL, 60612, Chicago, USA.
Charles K AbramsDepartment of Neurology and Rehabilitation, The University of Illinois at Chicago, 912 S. Wood Street, IL, 60612, Chicago, USA.
Fei SongDepartment of Neurology and Rehabilitation, The University of Illinois at Chicago, 912 S. Wood Street, IL, 60612, Chicago, USA.
Jeffrey A LoebDepartment of Neurology and Rehabilitation, The University of Illinois at Chicago, 912 S. Wood Street, IL, 60612, Chicago, USA. jaloeb@uic.edu.

Funding

Training program in the biology and translational research on Alzheimer's diseaseand related dementiasT32AG057468 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO · PI Stephanie M Cologna, Orly Lazarov · 2017 to 2026
$2.3M
NIA NIH HHS T32 AG057468NIA NIH HHS T32AG057468
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) typically present with arm, leg, or bulbar weakness. While genetics plays a clear role, it cannot explain why symptoms start focally or how upper (UMN) and lower motor neuron (LMN) systems are linked. In this clinicopathological case series, we examined the relationships between UMN/LMN disease in ten ALS patients. Detailed clinical assessments and motor cortex, brainstem, and spinal cord tissues were collected via rapid autopsy. Tissues were stained for UMN/LMN, myelin, axons, microglia, and pTDP43, and RNA-sequencing was performed. None of the patients had symptoms of frontotemporal dementia (FTD), but all had focal sites of clinical onset and both UMN/LMN involvement. LMN degeneration and microglial activation were highest at disease onset sites. UMN degeneration was present at all spinal cord levels through the medulla, regardless of onset site. Surprisingly, there was no evidence of UMN axonal degeneration above the brainstem. While extensive pTDP43 aggregates were seen in degenerating LMNs, no pTDP43 aggregates were seen in UMN cell bodies or their axons. RNA-sequencing implicated inflammatory pathways at sites of disease onset. Our findings suggest that some ALS patients without FTD have a dying back of UMN axons rather than a primary upper neuronopathy of neurons.

Indexed as

Amyotrophic Lateral SclerosisAxonsMotor NeuronsAgedBrain StemFemaleHumansMaleMicrogliaMiddle AgedMotor CortexSpinal Cordamyotrophic lateral sclerosiscorticospinal tractlower motor neuronneuroinflammationupper motor neuron

Identifiers

PMID42141072
PMCPMC13369483

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.