Hence, normal ageing is accompanied by loss of synaptic inputs to alpha motor neurons, a key age-related phenotype and indeed, a shared pathological hallmark with motor diseases including ALS [as shown in transactive response DNA binding protein 43kDa (TDP-43) and SOD1 mutant mice] (Vaughan et al., 2015). The gene discussed is TARDBP; the disease is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.