sample of a muscle or nerve may be necessary if the EMG/NCS is not specific enough to rule out other causes of progressive muscle weakness, but it is rarely used. Treatment There are no known curative treatments for the majority of motor neuron disorders. Please refer to the articles on individual disorders for more details. Prognosis The table below lists life expectancy for patients who are diagnosed with MND. Terminology In the United States and Canada, the term motor neuron disease usually refers to the group of disorders while amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is frequently called Lou Gehrig's disease. In the United Kingdom and Australia, the term motor neuron(e) disease is used for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, although is not uncommon to refer to the entire group. While MND refers to a specific subset of similar diseases, there are numerous other diseases of motor neurons that are referred to collectively as "motor neuron disorders", for instance the diseases belonging to the spinal muscular atrophies group. However, they are not classified as "motor neuron diseases" by the 11th edition of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11), which is the definition followed in this article. See also Spinal muscular atrophies Hereditary motor and sensory neuropathies References External links Motor neuron diseases Rare diseases Systemic atrophies primarily affecting the central nervous system