This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing theresources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject andinvestigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source,and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed isfor the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator.
The aim of this study is to show that a technique of breath control, called diaphragm training, can improve respiratory function and quality of life in patients with ALS over a twelve-week period. Our long-term objective, if diaphragm training proves efficacious, is to study whether it can slow respiratory decline and improve survival in this uniformly fatal illness. ALS is a progressive, degenerative disease of upper and lower motor neurons. ALS causes respiratory failure, which is the main determinant of mortality. There is no cure for ALS. For the subset of patients able to tolerate it, non-invasive ventilation can improve quality of life and prolong survival; it slows but does not reverse the inevitable decline in respiratory muscle function. Thus, there is a continued need for alternative therapies to improve respiratory function in ALS. We propose a 6-month pilot study of diaphragm training in 20 ALS subjects. Subjects will learn diaphragm training during three sessions, each one week apart. Tests of pulmonary function and measures of respiratory symptoms and quality of life will be performed at intervals for three months before and for three months after diaphragm training starts.
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