Reversible tau pathology in mice

Microtubules are protein fibres that are essential for determining the cells' shape, for cellular motion and cell division. In Alzheimer's disease, the microtubule-associated Tau protein, which is normally bound to the microtubule surface, forms characteristic aggregates in nerve cells. Transgenic cell and mouse models showed that the loss of synapses and neurons in Alzheimer's disease correlates with the aggregation of Tau. The concomitant impairment of learning and memory in mice can be reversed by suppression of Tau aggregation.