Final answer:
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that leads to muscle weakness, loss of motor control, and eventual paralysis due to the degeneration of motor neurons.
Step-by-step explanation:
The muscle disorder also known as Lou Gehrig's disease is c) Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ALS is a rapidly progressing neurodegenerative disease that affects the motor neurons responsible for controlling voluntary muscles. The term 'amyotrophic' comes from Greek, where 'a-' means no or negative, 'myo' refers to muscle, and 'trophic' means nourishment; thus, it suggests a lack of muscle nourishment. 'Lateral' indicates the affected regions of the spinal cord, where the nerve cells that signal and control muscle movement deteriorate, and 'sclerosis' refers to the stiffening or scarring of tissue and resultant hardening of the lateral portion of the spinal cord.
As ALS progresses, it causes a decline in voluntary muscle control over time by degenerating the motor neurons in the spinal cord, brain stem, and motor cortex. This degeneration leads to a cascade of problems, beginning with muscle weakening and lack of coordination, advancing to difficulty with speech, breathing and swallowing, and ultimately resulting in paralysis and the need for mechanical assistance for basic life functions.
Stephen Hawking was one of the most famous individuals to live with ALS, and thanks to technology, even individuals with advanced ALS can communicate using brain-computer interfaces, such as the one that allows for typing by twitching a cheek.