This blog is a fabricated story inspired by the current knowledge of MND.
Today, we wake to news that Mr Motor Neuron (one of the brightest stars in Hollywood) has been killed. A very specialised actor, he was well known for his lightning fast reactions and action-packed roles, often playing characters that had very important messages to deliver.
The alarm was first raised at 2am, when Neuron was found dead in the kitchen of his house by the cleaner, Miss Phagocyte. Dr Riluzole was called and attempted CPR, but nothing could be done to revive him. Early speculation is that he may have been poisoned with a highly toxic protein substance. Neuron’s bodyguards (hired from the prestigious company MicroGlia) have also gone missing, leading many to believe that they too have been murdered.
Ms Glial, who was Neuron’s PA since his career started, was thought to be at the property last night. However, despite being seen after 2am this morning, she is currently nowhere to be found and is being actively sought for questioning by the police.
Possible witnesses are currently being sought; it’s believed that his neighbour, Mr Calcyclin, was walking his P.75 breed of dog and may have vital information which he is giving to police at the Chaperone police station.
Rumours had been circulating that Mr O2 (Neuron’s agent) had put a lot of pressure on Neuron to complete the filming for his latest movie, and that the resulting stress may have contributed to his murder.
Some of Neuron’s family members are considered dangerous, especially his nephews C9orf72 and ATXN2 who are both members of the notorious ‘repeat expansion’ gang. He also has family connections to the FUS, SOD and TDP cartels (whose recent changes to the lucrative jean manufacturing industry had caused friction in the exclusive ‘Cellular Hills’ community).
Despite Neuron’s many film successes in recent years, one passer-by we spoke to earlier commented that Neuron’s home had been in decay for some time. He described plaster falling from the walls, cracked windows and an overgrown garden. However, the responsibility for this decay is disputed by the owners of the management company, hired to look after the estate, Mrs Ciga Rette, Mr Electro Field and Mr Pesti Cide. They point to other estates they manage showing no signs of decay and no one being murdered. They are currently unavailable for further comment.
Thousands more police (from many countries) are being drafted in to help with the investigation (operational code name: International Symposium on ALS/MND), which has become an international collaboration in an effort to find the murderers. One division of investigators is called the Project MinE task force, currently looking into the months preceding Neuron’s death.
A reconstruction of events will be filmed this afternoon and shown tonight on Crime LA. It will feature the award winning ‘iPSC’ theatre group re-enacting the hours before the tragic murder, in the hope that it will bring new information to light.
Despite a number of theories and mounting evidence, it remains unclear who killed Motor Neuron and how.
![Sarah%20Thompson_JPG[1].jpg](https://researchblog.mndassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/sarah20thompson_jpg1.jpg?w=97&h=147)
Sarah Thompson (author)
Sarah is part of the MND Association’s Research Development team. In her role as a Research Co-ordinator, she oversees applications and sample use from the UK MND Collections. She also looks after the abstract submissions for the International Symposium on ALS/MND.
Sorry but I can’t appreciate this. I’m afraid I don’t see anything to joke about in MND. Please don’t trivialise what my son and us, his family are still living with eighteen months after his cruel death.
Dear Christine,
Please know that we are all very determined to fight MND and our point was not to trivialise the disease but rather to make it easier to understand MND research. We did not mean for it to be perceived as if we are making light of the disease and I sincerely apologise if this article has offended you and your family.
Martina
This blog is usually an informative message about current research into mnd. I read it looking for hope that we can find a cure into one of the most awful diseases. You have trivialised and made it like a cartoon story. It is unnecessary. I appreciate you need to simplify a complex message to explain the disease but to try to make it light humour is, I feel, inappropriate.
Dear Rachel,
As mentioned in my previous reply, our point was not to trivialise the disease but rather to make it easier to understand MND research, as you yourself mentioned. We did not mean for it to be perceived as if we are making light of the disease and we sincerely apologise if this article has offended you.
Martina
Nice analysis of MND in a light hearted way it made me smile thank you x
Dear Anonymous,
We are very pleased to hear that the article made you happy – this was exactly our aim!
Martina
I asked my Consultant if he would consider Medicinal Cannabis for severe muscle cramps in my legs. He wasn’t amused and prescribed Gabapentin instead. Do you live longer if you have a sense of humour?
Dear Stephen,
There certainly is research looking into positive thinking and longevity – this article from 1994 shows that positive mental attitude in people with MND is positively linked with survival (and there is more ongoing research underway). You can also read about this topic on ALS Worldwide website, where they explore the power of positive thinking and maintaining sense of humour.
Martina
Great to have some humour even if I didn’t understand all the references!
Dear Kenneth,
I am sure that with a little bit of searching and reading on our blog, you will be able to understand every reference in no time! Please do not hesitate to contact us at research@mndassociation.org if you have any questions.
Martina
Dear Inspector Sarah
Thank you for your timely theories into the murder of Mr Motor Neuron. I write for the investigative and social support magazine, MND News [Vic] ,based in Victoria Australia and I have been reporting on the crime scene over here for a couple of years. I would appreciate being able to reproduce your enlightening article in our esteemed publication. Investigations into the causes of Motor Neurons death are under constant forensic review with shreds of genetic evidence being uncovered but no murder weapon. I have thought that investigations should perhaps take a more bottom up approach and investigate the dark morass of the underbelly, the biome. Referring to the case on Mr Cammoro, the Guam resident killed by toxic packages of BMAA, [ because it displaced his L- Serine medication], I wonder by applying a translational symmetry approach, whether toxic packages sent from this dark area can be implicated., Non-protein amino acids and peptide packages may well be used to infiltrate the RNA-messengers and cause toxic protein release thereby stressing Mr Motor Neuron. Anyway, I would love to reproduce your article in our prestigious magazine and look forward to your reply.
Dr Graeme Bertuch OAM
Dear Graeme,
Thank you for your nice feedback. We will be in touch with you via email shortly.
Martina
If only this was true, I would gladly plead guilty and serve a life sentence for removing this from the world; my wife was diagnosed with this five months ago.
Reblogged this on ThePhoenixRevival and commented:
amazing how our mind perceive things. We tend to grasp the information more when given to us as a story or fiction than the brute medical terms and hence i couldn’t appreciate more the superb way this heartbreaking condition is explained.