New research published in Nature provides the first direct evidence of autoimmunity involvement in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Scientists discovered that CD4+ T helper cells in ALS patients aberrantly recognize and respond to the neuronal protein C9orf72, a common mutation site. This immune attack elicits both pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine responses, advancing understanding of rapid disease progression and opening avenues for targeted immunotherapies against autoimmune components of ALS pathology.