However, autoimmune disease, genetics, obesity, chronic pancreatitis, certain medications and abnormal protein deposits in the pancreas can play a major role in the development of the disease. (pets.webmd.com)
Without it, protein deposits spread and eat away at the brain, affecting mental capacity and behavior and eventually leading to death. (sciencemag.org)
Several fatal neurological diseases — including Creutzfeldt - Jakob disease (CJD) in humans and scrapie in sheep — are marked by the accumulation of protein deposits in the brain. (sciencemag.org)