Upper and lower motor neurons, brainstem, and spinal cord are affected in which condition?

The condition that affects upper and lower motor neurons, brainstem, and spinal cord is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ALS is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the progressive degeneration of motor neurons, which are the nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary muscle movements.

In ALS, both upper motor neurons, which originate in the brain and send signals to lower motor neurons in the spinal cord, and lower motor neurons, which extend from the spinal cord to the muscles, are affected. This dual involvement leads to muscle weakness, atrophy, and spasticity. The disease ultimately results in severe impairment of motor function due to the loss of signals from the brain and spinal cord that control muscle actions.

Other conditions, while they may affect motor function, do so through different mechanisms or specific areas of the nervous system. Multiple sclerosis primarily affects the central nervous system's myelin, leading to varied neurological symptoms but does not specifically implicate both upper and lower motor neurons in the same manner as ALS. Spinal cord injury affects lower motor neurons based on the level of injury but does not typically affect the brainstem or the presence of upper motor neuron lesions above the injury site. Guillain-Barré syndrome primarily impacts the peripheral nervous system, inducing weakness and paralysis