Tau prevents synaptic transmission at early stage of neurodegeneration

(VIB (the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology)) Tau proteins are involved in more than twenty neurodegenerative diseases, including various forms of dementia. These proteins clump together in patients' brains to form neuronal tangles: protein aggregation that eventually coincides with the death of brain cells. Prof. Patrik Verstreken's research team (VIB-KU Leuven) has now discovered how tau disrupts the functioning of nerve cells, even before it starts forming tangles.
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news