Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease

High school (ages 12+)
Human Body

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/creutzfeldt-jakob-disease

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Where is Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease?Worldwide distribution, affecting approximately 1 person per million annually
2. How big is Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease?Central nervous system (brain and spinal cord)
3. When was Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease built?First described clinically in 1920 and 1921
4. What language do people speak in Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease?No specific language associated; disease occurs across all linguistic populations
5. What is the population affected annually?Approximately 1-2 cases per million people
6. How does the wrong protein cause problems in the brain?The misfolded protein makes normal proteins change shape too, creating a chain reaction that builds big clumps that damage brain cells and make the brain look spongy.

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE): A group of fatal brain diseases caused by prions that create sponge-like holes in brain tissue.
Prion Protein (PrP): A cellular protein that, when misfolded into a prion (PrPSc), can induce further misfolding in normal PrPC proteins.
Autosomal Dominant Inheritance: A pattern of inheritance where a single abnormal gene on one of the non-sex chromosomes is sufficient to cause the disease.