but doctors cautioned that they are still far from a cure. ; 'unraveling the mysteries ' ; the findings `` represent an important first step in unraveling the mysteries of this well-studied , but little-understood disorder , '' wrote dr. p. michael conneally of indiana university in an editorial published with the study in today 's new england journal of medicine . ; until now , lou gehrig 's disease -- what doctors call amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , or als -- has been an almost complete mystery .