Alzheimer’s
Like Alzheimer’s disease and BSE, it is this accumulation of a sticky lump of protein within the cell that causes the death of the cell, perhaps because it induces the cell to commit suicide.
Link to original
Worsen by each generation
Anticipation means that the longer the repetition, the longer it is likely to grow when copied for the next generation. We know that these repeats form little loopings of DNA called hairpins. The DNA likes to stick to itself, forming a structure like a hairpin, with the Cs and Gs of the C* G ‘words’ sticking together across the pin. When the hairpins unfold, the copying mechanism can slip and more copies of the word insert themselves.
Link to original