In 1997, doctors in Kentucky warned of possible hazards from eating squirrel brains, which are considered a folk delicacy in the region. In western parts of the state, the doctors found a greatly elevated human incidence of Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, a rarely seen but serious prion-based disorder that causes dementia and eventual death. So-called "mad squirrel disease" can be difficult to distinguish from the usual behavior of squirrels, but could be more prevalent among roadkilled animals. Some squirrel eaters have special rituals for preparing and eating the brain, while others avoid eating it altogether.