Spontaneous and mutagen-induced sister chromatid exchange in motor neurone disease.

Spontaneous and mutagen-induced sister-chromatid exchange frequencies have been studied in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of 6 patients with motor neurone disease. Their values were compared with those obtained in age- and sex-matched healthy controls. No significant differences were observed between the 2 groups. These results do not support the hypothesis of a defect in the repair of DNA damage as the primary abnormality in the development of the disease.