AKT3 and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Akt3 is significantly upregulated during spinal cord injury in rats, is neuroprotective in a mouse model of Familial Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and EAE, and has been identified as the most prominent Akt isoform involved in the protection against neurodegeneration (13, 19–21).