Even seemingly simple movements seem to push the hand's neuromuscular control system to its limits, with implications for both human rehabilitation and robot hands

In a study that demonstrates the promise of cell-based therapies for diseases that have proved intractable to modern medicine, a team of scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison has shown it is possible to rescue the dying neurons characteristic of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neuromuscular disorder also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

New research, published in The Journal of Physiology, has identified a novel mutation associated with muscle weakness and distal limb deformities. The study demonstrates that muscle weakness experienced by persons with a regulatory protein tropomyosin mutation is directly related to a mechanism by which the mutant tropomyosin modulates contractile speed and force-generation capacity.