Problem:

Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFI) is a genetic sleep disorder that has been diagnosed in less than 40 families worldwide. FFI begins as unexplained sleeplessness during middle age and rapidly develops into a fatal insomnia. FFI resembles many common diseases such as dementia, end-stage alcoholism and encephalitis. The inability to sleep causes high pulse and blood pressure, panic attacks, excessive sweating, hallucinations, devastating insomnia leading to dementia. From diagnosis to death takes about 12 months.

Question: Outline three experimental strategies that could be used to understand the basis of the disease. Plese explain all the strategies.