<P> In humans , prions have been hypothesized as the cause of Creutzfeldt -- Jakob disease ( CJD ) and its variant ( vCJD ) , Gerstmann -- Sträussler -- Scheinker syndrome , `` fatal familial insomnia '' , and kuru . All known prion diseases in mammals affect the structure of the brain or other neural tissue ; all are progressive , have no known effective treatment , and are always fatal . Multiple system atrophy ( MSA ) , a rare human neurodegenerative disease , features a misfolded version of a protein called alpha - synuclein , and is therefore also classifiable as a prion disease . Several yeast proteins have also been identified as having prionogenic properties . </P>
<P> In humans , prions have been hypothesized as the cause of Creutzfeldt -- Jakob disease ( CJD ) and its variant ( vCJD ) , Gerstmann -- Sträussler -- Scheinker syndrome , `` fatal familial insomnia '' , and kuru . All known prion diseases in mammals affect the structure of the brain or other neural tissue ; all are progressive , have no known effective treatment , and are always fatal . Multiple system atrophy ( MSA ) , a rare human neurodegenerative disease , features a misfolded version of a protein called alpha - synuclein , and is therefore also classifiable as a prion disease . Several yeast proteins have also been identified as having prionogenic properties . </P>
where are prions found in the human body
where are prions found in the human body
the brain or other neural tissue
the brain or other neural tissue