Final answer:
ALS, also recognized as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that leads to motor neuron degeneration, muscle weakness, and paralysis, but does not affect the sensory neurons. Symptoms can include both hypertonia and hypotonia in different muscles, and cell dysfunctions such as abnormal RNA metabolism and mitochondrial dysfunction are involved in its progression. Brain-computer interfaces have been developed to assist patients with communication.
Step-by-step explanation:
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is characterized by the degeneration of motor neurons that control voluntary movements. This neurodegenerative disease eventually leads to muscle weakness, loss of coordination, and paralysis. In ALS, it is the motor neurons that are affected, not the sensory neurons. Therefore, the statement about the sensory nervous system being destroyed is incorrect.
Patients with ALS experience varying symptoms including hypertonia (increased muscle tension) and hypotonia (decreased muscle tone) in different muscles. As the disease progresses, there is an increasing decline in muscle control due to the degeneration of motor neurons. This is because in ALS, the lateral portions of the spinal cord become hardened, or sclerotic, which impairs the transmission of signals to the muscles.
Furthermore, ALS involves multiple dysfunctions in motor neuron cell physiology, such as abnormal RNA metabolism, mitochondrial dysfunction, and hyperexcitability. Plaques similar to those found in Parkinson's or Huntington's diseases are not a feature of ALS. Novel technologies, like brain-computer interfaces, are being developed to help 'locked-in' patients communicate.