- A new study investigating Alzheimer’s disease reveals that a particular type of harmful protein, known as “oligomeric tau,” may play a key role in the development of the disease.
- High-resolution microscopy was used to discover the presence of oligomeric tau in nerve cell connections in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s, including areas previously not associated with tau buildup.
- The findings suggest that early accumulation of oligomeric tau in nerve connections could be a precursor to Alzheimer’s, indicating that reducing these proteins may offer a promising treatment pathway.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a condition that occurs when harmful proteins called tau build up and spread throughout the brain, leading to the loss of connections between nerve cells, called synapses.
While this loss in brain function has been observed in mouse models, less is known about how this occurs in humans.
While another protein called amyloid β is also found in the brains of individuals with Alzheimer’s, research suggests that the tau protein aggregates are mainly responsible for the development of the disease.
In a new study published in
The researchers found that a specific form of tau, called “oligomeric tau,” was present in both the sending and receiving parts of the nerve cell connections, even in areas where there isn’t usually a lot of tau buildup.
Additionally, there was a higher proportion of this oligomeric tau compared to other forms of tau in these nerve cell connections.
The University of Edinburgh research team focused on synapses, which are essential connections facilitating the transmission of chemical and electrical signals between brain cells.
Synapses play a crucial role in maintaining healthy brain function. In Alzheimer’s disease, large clusters…
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