Novel prion protein gene mutation at codon 196 (E196A) in a septuagenarian with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare and rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system, which may occur in inherited, acquired (variant and iatrogenic), or spontaneous (sporadic) forms. We report a 76-year-old Chinese man with CJD found to have a novel mutation in the prion protein gene (PRNP). The 14-3-3 protein was positive in the cerebrospinal fluid; diffusion-weighted MRI revealed ribbon-like high signal intensity in the bilateral cortices; and electroencephalography showed typical periodic synchronous discharge. CJD was diagnosed based on characteristic clinical manifestations. Interestingly, a point mutation of PRNP at codon 196 (E196A: GAG→GCG) was detected. In conclusion, we identified a patient with CJD with a novel PRNP mutation, which expands the spectrum of PRNP mutations in CJD.