UChicago researchers are studying protein misfolding and genetics in prion disease to unlock clues to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS.

All of us age, and as we do, myelin, the protective covering around the nerve cells in our brain, starts to deteriorate. This is like losing the insulation around an electrical wire. It causes nerve impulses to slow or even stop, and affects a range of bodily functions from thinking, memory, and behavior to balance and coordination. But this does not have to be the case.