To test whether there were inflammatory changes in ALS compared to control participant sera, the sera were first tested using CBA for a panel of 8 cytokines that are key markers of inflammatory processes – IL-6, IL-8, RANTES, MCP-1, IP-10, fractalkine, sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1. This evidence concerns the gene CX3CL1 and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.