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Article: SCIENTISTS DISCOVER FATAL INSOMNIA.(MAIN)
- Article from:
- Albany Times Union (Albany, NY)
- Article date:
- May 27, 1999
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 Albany Times Union. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: KATHARINE WEBSTER Associated Press
Researchers have discovered a brain-wasting disease that begins with severe insomnia and ends in hallucinations and death.
The disease, sporadic fatal insomnia, is caused by the same type of deformed proteins, known as prions, that cause mad cow disease and its human variant, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, according to two studies.
There is no known treatment or cure. It is not clear what causes the disease, but scientists know it is not inherited. And unlike one type of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, it is not believed to come from infected meat.
Instead, scientists suspect it is caused by a ...