ALS is a neuronopathy ("motor neuron disease"), not a neuropathy. In ALS, there is primary damage to the motor neurons that send signals to the muscles that help us move. However, newer research suggests that in some PALS there is a less prominent sensory component that is being explored.

In neuropathies, the primary damage is to the nerve fibers along which motor and sensory impulses travel. You might say that in ALS, the car battery is running out of juice, and in neuropathies, the highway is jammed.

There are motor neuropathies, sensory neuropathies, and sensorimotor neuropathies that combine features of both. There are also autonomic neuropathies that affect organs like the heart, stomach, and bladder.

Some common causes of neuropathy include spine damage, diabetes, HIV, repetitive motion injuries, trauma, and MS (an autoimmune disease). Leprosy is a common cause in some countries.

The only way to inherit ALS is from a parent with a gene that causes ALS. Most cases are not inherited. People can have both ALS and some kind of neuropathy, and that's especially likely in older people.