Notably, a result indicative of microglial activation (Iba1 reactivity) was significantly decreased in sporadic ALS patients who were treated with CuII(atsm) (63% decrease in spinal cord, p = 0.03)43,44 and this is consistent with a reported effect of CuII(atsm) in mutant SOD1 mouse models of the disease1,3,4. Here, AIF1 is linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.