Columbia University study links neuron cleanup system to early Alzheimer's tau tangles

Summary

Columbia University researchers have discovered that a neuron-specific protein disposal system called the neuroproteasome plays a key role in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. When this cleanup system on the surface of brain cells is disrupted, tau protein misfolds into paired helical filaments—the same abnormal structures found in Alzheimer's patients' brains. This finding helps explain one of the oldest mysteries about how ordinary tau protein transforms into the twisted filaments associated with memory loss and cognitive decline.