Salt Lake City, Jan. 31 -- In a rare but significant complication of cancer, the body's immune system can begin attacking the brain, resulting in rapid-onset memory loss and cognitive impairment. What precipitated this unexpected biological civil war was mostly unknown.

Researchers at the University of Utah Health have discovered that some cancers can produce a protein that resembles a virus, triggering an out-of-control immune response that may harm brain cells.

The findings were published in Cell.

Jason Shepherd, Ph.D., associate professor of neurobiology at University of Utah Health and last author on the study, explains that the swift escalation of symptoms--which can include memory and behavioral changes, loss of coordination, and...