Researchers are making small steps toward untangling the mysteries of tau – the protein that twists around neurons and destroys cognitive ability in Alzheimer’s disease. The beta amyloid protein, which forms the sticky brain plaques characteristic of the disease, is now considered the “upstream” lesion of Alzheimer’s – a prodromal manifestation that appears before the onset of symptoms. The neurofibrillary tangles of phosphorylated tau that appear in both the neuronal cell bodies and dendritic spines occur later and directly correlate with cognitive decline.
