Chronic aluminum-induced motor neuron degeneration: clinical, neuropathological and molecular biological aspects.

The monthly intracisternal inoculation of young adult New Zealand white rabbits with low-dose (100 micrograms) aluminum chloride induces aggregates of phosphorylated neurofilament that mimics the intraneuronal inclusions of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The chronic progressive myelopathy and topographically-specific motor neuron degeneration that occurs in the absence of suppressions of neurofilament messenger RNA levels in this model contrasts with the acute fulminant encephalomyelopathy and nonspecific gene suppressions that occur subsequent to high-dose (1000 micrograms) aluminum chloride inoculations. Further analysis of this unique model of chronic motor system degeneration can be expected to provide additional insights into the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.