The Journal of Middle East and North Africa Sciences

1-11

Authors: Hassaan Tohid, M. Zeeshan Siddiqui, Daniyal Aleem, Ateeq Mubarik, Syed Talha Idrees, Waqas A Burney • Zaidan Shuja Raza, Taha Khan, Samiya Khan, Kamran Mansha Kayani, Saad Hameed, James Bourgeois

Objective: To study the association between the mirror neuron system and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive search was performed in various databases including popular neurology and neuropsychiatry journals. In total 800 articles were reviewed with 682 excluded due to the inclusion-exclusion criteria. Results: Creutzfeldt-Jakob can lead to a number of different pathology including dementia, depression, personality changes, cognitive inadequacy, incoherent speech, sleep issues, motor deficit and other movement disorders. When studied independently each of these symptoms characteristically activated certain parts of the brain, visualized in neuroimaging. Coincidentally, the same brain areas were found to be independently affected by the mirror neuron system, indicating that these symptoms could be associated with mirror neuron dysfunction. It can, therefore, be hypothesized that a connection between mirror neurons and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease exists. Conclusions: Many of the symptoms and complications involved in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease are found to be associated with the mirror neuron system.