STAT3 and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: For example, upregulation of PGC-1α has been shown to be important for preventing sarcopenic and ALS-induced muscle atrophy, and activation of the IL-6–STAT3 pathway has been linked to the muscle wasting seen in cancer cachexia (Bonetto et al., 2012; Bonetto et al., 2011; Da Cruz et al., 2012; Wenz et al., 2009).