Question:

What is the histological appearance of brain in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease -

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Prion disease gives the grey matter a sponge-like vacuolated look.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
  • Neuronophagia
  • Spongiform change in brain
  • Microabscesses
  • Demyelination
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The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a prion disease, one of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies caused by misfolded PrP protein.

Step 2: Its classic histology is spongiform change in the grey matter. Small intracytoplasmic vacuoles develop in neurons and neuropil, involving all six cortical layers of the cerebral cortex and often the molecular layer of the cerebellum. These glassy eosinophilic vacuoles can coalesce, and neuronal loss with gliosis accompanies them.

Step 3: The distractors point to other processes. Neuronophagia and microabscesses suggest viral or bacterial encephalitis, while demyelination points to a process such as multiple sclerosis.

Step 4: The defining microscopic feature of CJD is therefore spongiform change in the brain.
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