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CJD

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·October 19, 2021·4 min read

Viral Infections Could Promote Neurodegeneration

Some viral infections could increase intercellular spreading of protein aggregates associated with neurodegenerative disorders, increasing the risk for developing Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Featured Neuroscience

·August 28, 2021·4 min read

First Atomic-Level Imaging of Lethal Prions Provide Sharpened Focus for Potential Treatments

Cryogenic-electron microscopy allowed researchers to determine the basic building blocks of prion proteins, including the placements of their amino acids.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·March 15, 2021·3 min read

Crucial Step in Formation of Deadly Brain Diseases Discovered

Study sheds light on what causes normal proteins to convert to a diseased form associated with CJD and Kuru.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·May 1, 2019·9 min read

Alzheimer’s disease is a ‘double-prion disorder’

Self-propagating amyloid and tau act as prions in the pathology of Alzheimer's disease. Higher levels of the prions in human brain samples were strongly correlated with early onset of Alzheimer's and death at a younger age.

Featured Neurology Open Neuroscience Articles

·January 22, 2019·5 min read

Skin Test Detects Prion Infection Before Symptoms Appear

Researchers have developed a new skin biopsy test that can detect prion infections in skin samples before symptoms of disease appear.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·December 14, 2018·6 min read

Alzheimer’s Protein Accidentally Transmitted to Patients Via Discontinued Medical Treatments

Researchers report human growth hormone, prepared from human tissue prior to 1985, may have been contaminated with seeds of the amyloid beta protein. In a new study, researchers injected mice with the original c-hGH batches containing amyloid beta which seeded amyloid pathology, even decades after storage. Findings support the hypothesis that the Alzheimer's causing proteins can be transmitted to from contaminated materials.

Featured Genetics Neurology Open Neuroscience Articles

·June 6, 2018·5 min read

First Artificial Human Prion Created

Researchers have successfully created a synthetic version of a human prion, a protein associated with brain wasting diseases like sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The prions may help shed new light on, and provide treatment options, for those with CJD and other prion related diseases.

Featured Neurology

·November 22, 2017·5 min read

Prion Protein in Skin of CJD Patients

Researchers have detected a prion protein associated with CJD on the skin of almost two dozen people who died from the disease. The findings raise questions as to whether transmission of the disease via skin transplantation may be possible, and whether a simple skin test could detect the disease.

Image shows alpha-synuclein amyloid fibrils.

Featured Neurology Open Neuroscience Articles

·September 14, 2017·3 min read

Molecular Link Between Parkinson’s and Prion Diseases Discovered

Researchers detail the complex interaction between alpha synuclein and the prion protein PrPc.

Brain Cancer Featured Genetics Neurology

·July 10, 2017·6 min read

Research Offers Hope For NF2 Neuro-Tumor Patients

Researchers from the University of Plymouth have discovered the tole PrPC plays in the development of neurofibromatosis 2 tumors. According to the study, the prion protein is overproduced in schwannomas, compared with healthy Schwann cells. This overproduction is a result of Merlin deficiency and contributed to tumor growth in NF2 patients.