SOD1 and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: These mice did display an increased motor neuron sensitivity to axonal injury [11] and pathology in response to paraquat induced of oxidative stress [12], demonstrating the clear requirement for SOD1 in protecting motor neurons from adverse insults, but they also provided early evidence that a loss of SOD1 function in isolation is not a sole contributor to ALS in mutant SOD1 cases of the disease.