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    Perspectives
    • Embracing My Inner Alien - Kevin Schaefer
    • Being Resilient - Jasmine Ramos
    • Soaring With Hope - Ari Anderson
    • Life, One Cup at a Time - Alyssa Silva
    • Wandering The Lines - Sherry Toh
    • The Wolf Finally Frees Itself - Brianna Albers
    • Caring Together - Connie Chandler
    • We’re Not in Kansas Anymore - Helen Baldwin
    • From Where I Sit - Halsey Blocher
    Videos
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    • Taking control of your healthcare
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Breaking News MDA Clinical & Scientific Conference Read More
Featured Articles
Columns

Having the newest generation of technology isn’t just a luxury with SMA

For a video games journalist, I haven’t played many video games recently. Mostly, the absence of gaming in my life isn’t my fault. My laptop is almost four years old, and it’s quite determined to remind me of its age. If I were to anthropomorphize it, I would say it…

An illustration of mice with test tubes and a beaker.
News

Targeting JNK pathway may offer new treatment approach for SMA

Targeting a stress-activated signaling pathway may offer a new way to treat spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), either on its own or in combination with existing therapies. Researchers found that blocking the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway with medications significantly reduced disease severity and extended survival in a mouse model…

Banner for Connie Chandler's column Discussion
Columns

Tips for finding friends and growing your friendship caregiving team

I am an adult with SMA who lives independently, so when people learn that most of my caregiving happens through 20-plus volunteer friends, they tend to be a bit flabbergasted. “How?” is the common and predictable question. I’m not someone who loves how-to articles or self-help books, because I…

The banner for Brianna Albers' column depicts a wolf howling against a background of mountains and trees, with the words Discussion
Columns

My recent overnight sleep study was uncomfortable, but necessary

When it comes to sleep studies, I mainly remember orange juice. Don’t ask me why. I was young then, around 8 or 9, so I have to assume the technicians were trying to bribe me or something. My last study was in 2002, so I was a little nervous when…

Mice investigate lab equipment.
News

Antipsychotic drug may help treat SMA symptoms, research shows

The antipsychotic medication haloperidol may help treat spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) by increasing SMN protein levels and enhancing protective effects in nerve cells, a study found. Haloperidol boosted nerve cell survival, reduced neuroinflammation, and improved motor function in mice and in patient-derived cells, supporting its potential as a complementary…

A banner for Alyssa Silva's column Discussion
Columns

The transition to adult healthcare brings both fear and gratitude

“Where are the cartoons?” I jokingly asked my mom while “Sherri,” the daytime talk show, played on a television above me. She chuckled as I scanned the waiting room, taking it all in. There are moments in life when gratitude and fear coexist in the most complicated and overwhelming of…

Main graphic for column titled

Featured ColumnWe need more research on reproductive health in women with SMA

At 19, columnist Sherry Toh thought she’d escaped her period, which is why more research on women’s reproductive health is needed, she says.

Read the column

Vlogs

Watch the latest videos where patients with SMA share their personal stories and perspectives with the SMA community.

Watch on YouTube

The Spinal Muscular Atrophy Podcast

Listen to the latest episode of The Spinal Muscular Atrophy Podcast, hosted by forums director Kevin Schaefer.

Listen to more

Your SMA Community

Visit the SMA News Today forums to connect with others in the SMA community.

View Forums

Perspectives

  1. Main graphic for column titled Discussion
    Columns

    Having the newest generation of technology isn’t just a luxury with SMA

  2. Banner for Connie Chandler's column Discussion
    Columns

    Tips for finding friends and growing your friendship caregiving team

  3. The banner for Brianna Albers' column depicts a wolf howling against a background of mountains and trees, with the words Discussion
    Columns

    My recent overnight sleep study was uncomfortable, but necessary

  4. A banner for Alyssa Silva's column Discussion
    Columns

    The transition to adult healthcare brings both fear and gratitude

  5. main graphic for column titled Discussion
    Columns

    When fate tested our theory that things happen for a reason

  6. Banner for Connie Chandler's column Discussion
    Columns

    Learning to resolve conflict with friends who are also caregivers

View All Columns

Special Collections

A close-up view of a strand of DNA highlights its double-helix structure.

Spinal Muscular Atrophy and Genetics

Wheelchair illustration

Specialized Equipment for SMA Patients

A child in a wheelchair raises his arms above his head.

Living Well With SMA

  1. A close-up view of a strand of DNA highlights its double-helix structure.

    Spinal Muscular Atrophy and Genetics

  2. Wheelchair illustration

    Specialized Equipment for SMA Patients

  3. A child in a wheelchair raises his arms above his head.

    Living Well With SMA

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