How is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease diagnosed?

How is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider can diagnose CJD using a combination of methods, including:

• Physical and neurological exams. These involve your healthcare provider looking for signs and symptoms of CJD and asking you to do certain tasks, which can help them identify problems with how your brain functions.
• Diagnostic tests and imaging. These tests can measure your brain activity or create images of your brain structure.
• Lab tests. These tests analyze blood or cerebrospinal fluid (a fluid that surrounds your brain and spinal cord) for signs of CJD, especially abnormal proteins and prions. This can also involve testing brain tissue directly after a person has died.