Prion disease

Prion diseases, also known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) or prionopathies, are a group of central nervous system degenerative diseases caused by infectious, abnormal prion proteins. They typically manifest in middle-aged and older individuals, presenting with both neurological symptoms such as paralysis, ataxia, and tremors, and psychiatric symptoms like dementia, insomnia, and cognitive decline. Currently known human prion diseases primarily include Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome (GSS), fatal familial insomnia (FFI), and Kuru, with Kuru now being extinct.