About the Authors

Jiri G. Safar

Affiliations Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America, Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America, National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America

Xiangzhu Xiao

Affiliation Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America

Mohammad E. Kabir

Affiliation Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America

Shugui Chen

Affiliation Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America

Chae Kim

Affiliation Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America

Tracy Haldiman

Affiliation Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America

Yvonne Cohen

Affiliation National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America

Wei Chen

Affiliation National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America

Mark L. Cohen

Affiliations Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America, National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America

Witold K. Surewicz

wks3@case.edu

Affiliation Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America

Competing Interests

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Author Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: JGS WKS. Performed the experiments: XX SC MEK CK TH. Analyzed the data: JGS WKS XX SC. Wrote the paper: JGS WKS. Sampled the brains and performed diagnostic assays: YC WC. Performed diagnostic pathology: MLC.