MRI Can Distinguish CJD from Other Rapid Dementias

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) causes a characteristic pattern on MRI that can distinguish it from other rapidly progressing dementias not caused by prions, according to a new study in Neurology. “Many radiologists are not familiar with these fi ndings, so it is imperative that neurologists read their MRIs on their own, and use the knowledge from this study to interpret them,” according to lead author Michael Geschwind, MD, PhD, a neurologist at the Memory and Aging Center and associate professor of neurology at the University of California-San Francisco (UCSF). The pattern is a relatively simple one, comprising a higher signal on DWI (diffusion-weighted imaging) than FLAIR (fl uid attenuation inversion recovery) in areas classically associated with CJD, including cingulate, striatum, and multiple neocortical gyri, in the context of clinical cues, suggests that CJD is a possible diagnosis. Previous criteria indicated only INSIDE 5/5/11