Kuru is caused by the accumulation of misfolded prion proteins in the brain. These proteins induce normal cellular prion proteins to misfold, leading to a chain reaction. The aggregates of misfolded proteins form plaques, which disrupt normal brain function, resulting in the symptoms of the disease. The most common mode of transmission was through ritualistic cannibalism, where the Fore people consumed the tissues of deceased family members as a part of their funerary rites.
