Chaperone protein imbalance promotes toxic tau buildup in the aging brain

Chaperone protein imbalance promotes toxic tau buildup in the aging brain
Tau pathology resembling that seen in Alzheimer’s disease brains. Credit: Laura Blair’s laboratory, USF Health/University of South Florida

Chaperone protein imbalance can play a significant role in initiating toxic accumulation of tau in the aging brain—an early step in the development of Alzheimer’s disease and related neurodegenerative disorders known as tauopathies, a new preclinical study by University of South Florida Health (USF Health) neuroscientists suggests.

In humans, misfolding of the protein tau leads to its toxic accumulation inside , the formation of these tau aggregates into hallmark neurofibrillary tangles, neuron death, and…

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