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Changes in the motor unit, which is made up of a nerve cell and the muscle fibers it controls, may help doctors better understand how severe spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is in each person, according to…

Alice Wong, a disability rights activist with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), devoted herself to fighting for the rights of people with disabilities and other underrepresented communities. When she died at age 51 in November, she left…

“How did your parents do it?” People have asked me this many times over the years. It usually comes up when they learn of some aspect of my independence, an accomplishment, or something else that impresses them…

Evrysdi (risdiplam) can stabilize motor function, improve swallowing ability, ease fatigue, and improve life quality in adults with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), according to a review of scientific literature. Although the researchers stressed that more studies are…

Children with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) who are nonambulatory, or unable to walk, have weaker upper leg bones — as assessed by tests of bone mineral density, or BMD — compared with nonambulatory…

There’s a character in the musical “Wicked” that I strongly relate to. She has the cutest slippers in the film, and her first day at Shiz University barely hints at the whirlwind of tragedies that await her. Throughout the…

It’s that time of year when people are thinking about resolutions, things they can do to improve themselves in 2026. Whether it’s losing weight, gaining muscle, learning a new skill, or going on an adventure,…

Every December, I write an end-of-the-year column. I try to make it inspiring, or at the very least optimistic, but sometimes I can’t even accomplish that. Last year’s wrap-up was essentially a long-winded way of me saying, “See you never,…

Throughout 2025, the team at SMA News Today has brought our audience the latest advances in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), from emerging treatments and clinical trial updates to real-world research. As the year comes to a close, we’ve…

A medicine called leuprorelin acetate, approved in the U.S. to treat prostate cancer, can slow the progression of physical disability in people with spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA), according to an analysis of a real-world study…