Abstract
The objective was to test the hypothesis that the size frequency distributions of the prion protein (PrP) plaques in cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) follow a power-law function. The design was a retrospective neuropathological study. The patients were 11 cases of clinically and neuropathologically verified vCJD. Size distributions of the diffuse and florid-type plaques were measured in several areas of the cerebral cortex and hippocampus from each case and a power-law function fitted to each distribution. The size distributions of the florid and diffuse plaques were fitted successfully by a powerlaw function in 100% and 42% of brain areas investigated respectively. Processes of aggregation/disaggregation may be more important than surface diffusion in the pathogenesis of the florid plaques. By contrast, surface diffusion may be a more significant factor in the development of the diffuse plaques.
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Armstrong, R.A., Cairns, N.J. & Ironside, J.W. Size frequency distributions of the florid prion protein aggregates in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease follow a power-law function. Neurol Sci 27, 104–109 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-006-0608-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-006-0608-9