Genome-wide genotyping in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and neurologically normal controls: first stage analysis and public release of data

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder clinically characterized by rapidly progressive paralysis and death due to respiratory failure, typically within two to three years of symptom onset. The number of ALS cases across the globe will increase to nearly 400,000 in 2040, predominantly due to aging of the population. Unraveling the genetics underlying ALS provides insights into the cellular mechanism leading to motor neuron death and provides targets for therapeutic intervention. We performed a genome-wide association study involving a meta-analysis of 20,806 ALS cases and 59,804 controls. Here, we release genotype data for the 15,480 subjects assayed in the Laboratory of Neurogenetics for this effort.