Fundraisers fight to find a cure for awful condition
Motor neurone disease is an incurable, life-shortening condition that affects the brain and nerves.
Messages from the motor neurones – brain cells which control muscle activity – gradually stop reaching the muscles.
This means muscles weaken, stiffen and waste, which can affect how sufferers walk, talk, eat, drink and even breathe.
Sufferers include Scottish rugby legend Doddie Weir, who started a foundation to raise funds for research into the disease after he was diagnosed three years ago.
Scientist Stephen Hawking, footballer Fernando Ricksen and campaigner Gordon Aikman also had MND.
Early symptoms of MND can include slurred speech, a weak grip, muscle cramps and twitches and weight loss.
It’s an uncommon condition which affects up to 5,000 adults in the UK at any one time.
It can affect people of all ages, but it mainly affects those in their 60s and 70s.
The disease will progress over time but symptoms can be managed to help achieve the best possible quality of life.
There are four types of MND. The most common form is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which is characterised by weakness and wasting in the limbs and muscle.
Bulbar onset MND affects a smaller number of people than typical ALS, and mainly affects the muscles of the face, throat and tongue.
Progressive muscular atrophy affects only a small proportion of people and early symptoms may show as weakness or clumsiness of the hands.
Primary lateral sclerosis is a rare form of MND, mainly causing weakness in the lower limbs.