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Motor neuron disease

Common genetic variants and the heritability of ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) shows complex inheritance. A new meta-analysis of three data sets has replicated previous estimates of the heritability attributable to common genetic variation, corroborated some previously identified disease-associated genetic loci, and suggested novel loci. Despite such efforts, our understanding of the genetic architecture of ALS remains limited.

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Acknowledgements

A.A.-C. is involved in an EU Joint Programme–Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND) project, which is supported by the Medical Research Council and Economic and Social Research Council under the aegis of JPND. A.A.-C. receives salary support from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Dementia Biomedical Research Unit at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health. The work leading up to this publication was funded by the European Community's Health Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013; grant agreement number 259867). P.M.V. receives financial support from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council.

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Correspondence to Ammar Al-Chalabi.

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Al-Chalabi, A., Visscher, P. Common genetic variants and the heritability of ALS. Nat Rev Neurol 10, 549–550 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2014.166

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