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Tau protein - role for Alzheimer's, brain & pathological changes
Tau proteins stabilise the neuronal cell framework. In Alzheimer's disease, pathological tau changes lead to cell degradation. Find out all about function, diagnostics and current therapeutic approaches.
Things worth knowing about "Tau proteins"
Tau proteins stabilise the neuronal cell framework. In Alzheimer's disease, pathological tau changes lead to cell degradation. Find out all about function, diagnostics and current therapeutic approaches.
Tau proteins are the body's own structure-stabilising proteins that occur primarily in nerve cells of the central nervous system. Their main function lies in the stabilisation of microtubules, i.e. the "transport tracks" within nerve cells that are crucial for cell transport and the maintenance of cell structure.
Physiological function
In a healthy brain, tau ensures that the microtubules remain stable and the nerve cells can work efficiently. It acts like a "scaffold protein" that ensures that nutrients, neurotransmitter vesicles and other cell components are transported in the right direction.
Pathological changes in Alzheimer's
In neurodegenerative diseases, in particular Alzheimer's, there is defective phosphorylation of the tau protein:
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Tau loses its binding to the microtubules
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It aggregates to insoluble fibrils inside the cell
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These deposits are called neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs)
The result: axonal transport breaks down, nerve cells degenerate and die. In the advanced stage of Alzheimer's disease, the amount of tau deposits correlates more strongly with cognitive decline than amyloid plaques - which is why tau is now considered a central target for diagnostics and therapy.
Diagnostics
Tau proteins can be detected using various methods:
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Cerebrospinal fluid analysis: Increased total tau and phosphorylated tau are considered Alzheimer's biomarkers
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Tau PET: Imaging method for visualising the distribution of tau in the brain
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Blood tests: In development; increasingly relevant for early diagnosis
Tauopathies
In addition to Alzheimer's disease, tau is also pathologically altered in other neurodegenerative diseases - these are referred to as tauopathies, e.g.:
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Frontotemporal dementia (FTD)
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Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP)
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Corticobasal degeneration (CBD)
Therapeutic approaches
Tau is the focus of modern Alzheimer's research:
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Tau vaccines (in studies) are said to activate the immune system against pathological tau
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Tau antibodies are designed to block aggregation or proliferation
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Lifestyle measures that reduce oxidative stress and inflammation may slow thauopathic processes
Tau proteins are essential for neuronal stability and communication. Their dysfunction is a central mechanism of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. In the future, tau-based diagnostics and therapy could play an important role in individualised dementia treatment.
Literature references:
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Wang, Y. & Mandelkow, E. (2016). ""Tau in physiology and pathology."" Nature Reviews Neuroscience.
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Jack, C. R. et al (2018). ""NIA-AA Research Framework: Toward a biological definition of Alzheimer's disease." Alzheimer's & Dementia.
- Spillantini, M. G. & Goedert, M. (2013). ""Tau pathology and neurodegeneration."" Lancet Neurology.
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