Prions are a form of protein that triggers bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease. The researchers said they have detected changes in the production and accumulation of the prion protein in the brains of cattle with a rare neurodegenerative disorder.

Martin Jeffrey of Britain's Veterinary Laboratories Agency led a research team that tested 15 brains of cattle with idiopathic brain stem neuronal chromatolysis and hippocampal sclerosis, or IBNC. They said laboratory tests suggest that while the misfolded form of the prion protein that accumulates in the brains of BSE cases isn't present in IBNC cases, increased levels of prion proteins were detected.

"We've shown for the first time that (the) prion protein is somehow involved in IBNC," said Jeffrey. "This may have implications for diagnosis and recognition of typical forms of BSE, as well as the related diseases in sheep, deer and in man."

The study is reported in the journal BMC Veterinary Research.