Fatal Familial Insomnia

Fatal familial insomnia (FFI) is a rare and degenerative neurological disorder that affects the sleep-wake cycle and results in a wide range of symptoms, including insomnia, cognitive decline, and eventual death. FFI is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner, meaning that a person with a mutation in the responsible gene has a 50% chance of passing the condition on to their offspring.

The main hallmark of FFI is the progressive inability to sleep, which leads to severe insomnia that worsens over time. Other symptoms may include cognitive impairment, hallucinations, paranoia, weight loss, and autonomic dysfunction. As the disease progresses, patients may experience a complete inability to sleep, leading to a rapid decline in physical and mental health.

FFI is caused by a mutation in the PRNP gene, which leads to the accumulation of an abnormal form of the prion protein in the brain. Prions are misfolded proteins that can induce other normal proteins to adopt the abnormal conformation, leading to a cascade of pathological events in the brain.

Our Fatal Familial Insomnia Test Package Includes: