Prions clog cell traffic in brains with neurodegenerative diseases
Clumps of these proteins may contribute to nerve death by causing mitochondria to crash
![prion proteins](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/121119_ti_prion_feat_rev.jpg?fit=1028%2C579&ssl=1)
Prion proteins (shown in red in mouse brain cells) can disrupt traffic in the threadlike axons of nerve cells, leading to death of the cells.
NIAID