Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder often accompanied with frontotemporal dementia.96 In the United States ALS affects ~3.9 cases per 100 000 individuals, with increased prevalence in persons aged 60–69 years.97 Loss of spinal cord motor neurons is the prominent pathological feature of ALS that manifests as muscle weakness and respiratory failure.98, 99 Several genes have been found to be associated with ALS including superoxide dismutase-1 protein (SOD1), RNA-binding protein fused in sarcoma and TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TARDBP).100, 101. This evidence concerns the gene TARDBP and respiratory failure.