A 72-Year-Old, Previously Healthy Man Is Brought to the Office

A 72-year-old, previously healthy man is brought to the office by his wife due to unusual movements and behavior during sleep that have occurred with increasing frequency over the past 3 months.  She says, "Lately, he's been waking me up in the middle of the night, moaning and thrashing around like he's having a bad dream.  Sometimes, he becomes so violent in his sleep that he'll kick and punch me.  I can easily wake him up, but he's often confused for a few seconds.  Then he usually describes a dream in which he was defending himself from an attack."  Physical examination is unremarkable.  Neurodegeneration due to accumulation of which of the following is the most likely etiology of this patient's condition?

A) Alpha-synuclein
B) Amyloid beta peptide
C) Prion proteins
D) Tau proteins
E) TAR DNA-binding protein-43

Correct Answer:

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