The mechanism is complex and poorly understood. During autopsies, neurofibrillary tangles are found in the brain which are congruent to the brain of an Alzheimer's patient. The following is an excerpt from Island of the Colorblind, in which samples of substantia nigra are viewed under microscope. "Many of the cells are pale and depigmented. There's a lot of glial reaction, and bits of loose pigment. Shifting to a higher power, he saw a huge number of neurofibrillary tangles, densely staining, convoluted masses, harshly evident within the destroyed nerve cells." Looking at other samples of hypothalamus, spinal cord, and cortex, all were full of neurofibrillary tangles. Neurofibrillary degeneration was everywhere. These slides were similar in appearance to those taken from postencephalitic parkinsonism. While neurofibrillary degeneration is a potential cause of<unk><unk> , much is still undiscovered as to what causes the symptoms, what governs the severity, and how the onset of symptoms progresses. Similar symptoms of Postencephalitic Parkinsonism patients and Alzheimer's patients could account for the similarities in symptoms of<unk>  and<unk> .<unk><unk> , postencephalitis, and Alzheimer's could possibly be the same<unk>  taking three different forms. Age of onset seems to be increasing with no more teenage cases and almost no patients in their twenties. Presentation also varies between years. One form of the<unk>  will present itself chiefly in one decade and then another form predominates in the next. No treatment has been found to cure<unk><unk> . In some cases, the drug L-DOPA was given to patients to alleviate some of the symptoms of<unk> , but this only gave the patients one or two hours of freedom from the complete paralysis and rigidity of limbs. It seems in the case of the Chamorros, family members are the primary caregivers, and they have accepted those who are ill and provide home care for all those inflicted with<unk><unk> .
Lytico-bodig disease
Crigler–Najjar syndrome
Nakajo syndrome
Degos disease
Fazio–Londe disease
Brill–Zinsser disease
Rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata
DeSanto-Shinawi syndrome