In article <sgodfrey.2.008F7170 at SunBelt.Net>, sgodfrey at SunBelt.Net (Steve
Godfrey) wrote:
> My 71-yr old mother has been afflicted with a severe dementia accompanied by
> muscle spasms, all of which developed over a very short span of time
(2-3 wks)
> approx. two months after open-heart surgery. MRI and CatScan show no
evidence
> of stroke, and changes to medication do not seem to result in any change in
> her condition. Neurologists seem puzzled. The possibility of
> Creutzfeldt-Jacobs disease has been raised (not by a doctor), and my sister
> and I are seeking any info on this disorder, and/or any other possible causes
> that could lead to such mental instability over such a short span of time.
>> Any comments would be appreciated.
The following reference is a good starter:
S.B. Prusiner. The prion diseases. Scientific American (January 1995),
pp. 30-37.
Jean-Marc Gabriel, PhD
Neurobiology Lab#306
Neurology Clinic & Research Dept.
University Hospital Basel
Hebelstrasse 20
CH-4031 Basel
Switzerland
phone: +41 61 265 2329
fax: +41 61 265 2350
email: gabriel at ubaclu.unibas.ch