Familial British dementia

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Familial British dementia
Specialty Psychiatry

Familial British dementia is a form of dementia. It was first reported by Cecil Charles Worster-Drought in 1933 [1] and is therefore also known as Worster-Drought syndrome. It is caused by a mutation in the ITM2B gene (also known as BRI2); a different mutation of the same gene causes the similar syndrome of familial Danish dementia. The combination of amyloid pathology and neurofibrillary tangles has led to comparison with the pathology of Alzheimer's disease. [2]

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Familial Danish Dementia is an extremely rare, neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive cataracts, loss of hearing, cerebellar ataxia, paranoid psychosis, and dementia. Neuropathological hallmarks include extensive atrophy of all areas of the brain, chronic diffuse encephalopathy, and the presence of exceedingly thin and nearly totally demyelinated cranial nerves.

References

  1. C Worster-Drought; Hill, TR; McMenemey, WH; et al. (1933). "Familial Presenile Dementia with Spastic Paralysis". J Neurol Psychopathol. s1-14 (53): 27–34. doi:10.1136/jnnp.s1-14.53.27. PMC   1038860 . PMID   21610757.
  2. J Ghiso; Révész, T; Holton, J; Rostagno, A; Lashley, T; Houlden, H; Gibb, G; Anderton, B; et al. (2001). "Chromosome 13 dementia syndromes as models of neurodegeneration". Amyloid. 8 (4): 277–84. doi:10.3109/13506120108993826. PMID   11791622.