Adipose tissue cellularity in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

The subcutaneous mean fat-cell volumes as measured in 20 patients suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) were definitely larger than those measured in a control group. In contrast with the control subjects, the mean fat-cell volume in patients with ALS appeared to be independent of body weight. The noted disturbances in carbohydrate-insulin metabolism in patients with ALS and the increase in serum triglycerides as observed in some patients may be related to the enlarged fat cells. The possibility that the enlargement of the fat-cells may, at least partially, have a neurogenic basis cannot be ignored. The hypothesis is put forward that in patients with ALS there is not only a lesion of the anterior horn, but also an involvement of sympathic structures responsible for the innervation of adipose tissue vessels. This involvement may lead to an inhibition of the lipolysis, and consequently to an enlargemnt of the fat cell. Interaction between the interference with metabolic and neurogenic factors may be at play.