**4. miR-29a and miR-29b upregulation**

Microarray analysis of miRNAs on samples from three brains of patients with ALS reports the upregulation of miR-29a. This affects the stability and translation of mRNAs of NAV3, a nuclear membrane protein-related neuronal regeneration [55]. Unfortunately, there was a noticeable change in values of the miRNAs for the samples analyzed. In addition, the number of samples was very small so the analysis does not conclude. However, recently Nolan et al. [56] have reported an interesting result. The downregulation of the antiapoptotic Mcl-1 was associated with an upregulation of miR-29a, which enhances the sensitivity of neurons to endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced apoptosis. In previous research, Nolan et al. found a high expression for miR-29a in the brain and spinal cord of a family of ALS mouse model. The intracerebroventricular injection of an miR-29a-specific antagomir does not change disease manifestation, but the change in the life span was observed [57].
