PSYC 211 Lecture Notes - Lecture 22: Twin, Synuclein, Antibody
Document Summary
There are many different kinds of neurodegenerative disease, such as prion diseases, alzheimer"s, Some of these conditions injure particular kinds of cells, others are more widespread. Degeneration is typically the result of apoptosis, which is triggered by collections (aggregates) of misfolded proteins that disrupt normal cellular function. Contagious brain disease, such as mad cow and creutzfeldt-jacob disease, whose degenerative process gives the brain a sponge-like appearance. Spongiform means that when they die their brain resembles a sponge. Their brain has holes in it due to neurons that are not there anymore. Protein that can exist in two forms that differ only in their three-dimensional shape. The prion protein is at risk of being misfolded. When a misfolded protein bumps into another well-folded one, it can cause this one to also become misfolded. This creates clumps of misfolded proteins that all bind together. Accumulation of misfolded prion protein is responsible for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.
