A human protein that has been shown to help the survival of those cells in the nervous system that act to convey sensation and control the function of muscles and organs. CNTF was approved by the U.S. FDA to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) in 1992. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis causes a victim’s muscles to degenerate severely, and it affects approximately 30,000 people per year in the United States. CNTF might prove useful for treating Alzheimer’s Disease and/or other human neurological diseases.