Prion Diseases: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments

Authors

Abstract

Prions are pathogenic molecules which cause prion proteins, found abundantly in the brain, to fold improperly. In the following review, I will discuss the source of prions and the fundamental biochemical pathways which cause the prion proteins to misfold. I will also elucidate the factors that determine which form of disease the prions differentiate into. Prion diseases include Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, and Fatal Familial Insomnia. This discussion will also analyze various benchmarks in brain atrophy and symptoms by which the progression can be judged. The survival rate of prion diseases is zero percent, and current treatments only temporarily hinder the afflictions. Finding a pharmacologic or immunotherapeutic solution to prion replication would drastically increase quality of life for infected patients.

School

Bayer School of Natural and Environmental Sciences

First Page

3

Last Page

10

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

(2019). Prion Diseases: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments. D.U.Quark, 3 (2). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/duquark/vol3/iss2/1