Using a new human brain tissue model, this study intends to understand the ways in which brain electrical signaling becomes disrupted in individuals who are pre-disposed to familial prion diseases and when nerve cells are subjected to toxic human prions. The investigators will then use the new model to determine whether putative anti-prion compounds can reverse or prevent prion-induced changes in brain electrical signaling in human brain cells.  Ultimately, the investigators aim to identify new pathway targets for therapeutic intervention in human disease.