Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in particular is thought to play a significant role in these diseases, as proteins such as amyloid beta, implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, and mutant SOD1, associated with familial forms of ALS, are known to mediate neuronal death in part through enhanced production of this toxic species [30, 31]. This evidence concerns the gene SOD1 and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.