SMN2 and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Several studies, including the effect of ALS causing mutations on alteration of SMN function, loss of SMN containing gems in ALS patient cells, and the disruption of common protein networks in SMA and ALS have pointed to overlaps in the patho-mechanisms associated with two genetic neuromuscular disorders, ALS and SMA (Veldink et al., 2005; Achsel et al., 2013; Cauchi, 2014; Sun et al., 2015; Kubinski and Claus, 2022).