UConn Health

September 15, 2026 | Chris DeFrancesco '94 (CLAS)

‘Healthy Rounds’: Progress With ALS, Other Neuromuscular Disorders

Dr. Cristina Viguera, neurologist specializing in neuromuscular disorders, joins Dr. Anthony Alessi’s podcast

collage Drs. Cristina Viguera and Anthony Alessi

Dr. Cristina Viguera, UConn Health neurologist, joins Dr. Anthony Alessi on his “Healthy Rounds” podcast at UConn Health. (Photos by Tina Encarnacion)

"Healthy Rounds Podcast with Dr. Anthony Alessi, UConn Health" graphic with portrait of Dr. Alessi
Dr. Anthony Alessi’s “Healthy Rounds” radio program is now a UConn Health podcast. (Tina Encarnacion/ UConn Health photo)

ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) is a devastating motor neuron disease that effects movement, speech, swallowing, and breathing. Dr. Cristina Viguera(opens in new tab), UConn Health neurologist with expertise in neuromuscular medicine, joins Dr. Anthony Alessi(opens in new tab) to discuss some potentially promising research findings in ALS, as well as some progress in treating the genetic condition spinal muscular atrophy.

It’s something that we just never really had available before, and it’s giving us a lot of hope that we can find maybe other shared mechanisms that can apply to other patients as well, and that that will translate into something meaningful for our patients.
— Dr. Cristina Viguera

Listen now:

Find the transcript on Podbean.(opens in new tab)

Submit questions for “Healthy Rounds” to healthyrounds@uchc.edu.

Support comes from UConn Health Orthopedics and Sports Medicine and Coverys(opens in new tab).