Tau Protein Conglomerations Contribute to Alzheimer's

A collaboration of researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch say that conglomerations of between 2 and 4 tau proteins (oligomers) are the most damaging molecular contracts to the human brain. This proteins has been linked to the development of Alzheimer's disease in previous studies.

What researchers were unclear about was what happened between the time when tau acted normally in the brain, and the time when neurofibrillary tangles were produced. The latter are very large accumulations of the protein, which cause great damage to neurons.

The new study essentially revealed that the tau conglomerations that precede the tangles are just as dangerous for the brain, and also that they represent one of the earliest steps in triggering this neurodegenerative form of dementia, PsychCentral reports.

Studies such as this are critical in my opinion, since they promise to address a condition that is bound to become a staple for the aging population of the civilized world.