Familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: a neuropsychological case study

The spectrum of neuropsychological features of familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) have seldom been reported, possibly because of (a) the rarity of this hereditary form of prion disease; (b) frequent delays in diagnosis, and; (c) the typically rapid demise of the patient, which affords little opportunity for comprehensive testing or serial analysis. Here we describe the neurobehavioral characteristics of a 48-year-old right-handed male (JD) who presented with complaints of poor depth perception, unsteady gait, and unusual sensory experiences in his face and neck. JD was followed serially over the final 4 months of his 5-month illness. Immediately following hospital admission, he underwent a neuropsychological evaluation that revealed moderate to severe impairment of delayed (30-minute) verbal memory, tactual performance in his right hand, and word-finding ability. In contrast, other abilities that are commonly classified within the verbal, visuospatial, and memory domains showed minimal or no compromise. Parallel studies of electroencephalographic activity revealed diffuse slowing and, later, 1-Hz rhythmical discharges over the left hemisphere, and mild prominence of the lateral ventricles and cerebral sulci on magnetic resonance imaging. Autopsy revealed spongiform changes and reactive astrocytosis, and genetic testing demonstrated a codon 200 mutation in the prion protein gene. These findings indicate that CJD can result in clinical manifestations compatible with multifocal asymmetric cerebral involvement before more diffuse neurodegeneration ensues, providing a strong impetus for the study of additional cases. This long-term understanding can help to determine whether the multiple loci of clinical involvement are specified by genetic or epigenetic factors, or both.