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Tau Biology pp 187–203Cite as

Amyloid-β and Tau at the Crossroads of Alzheimer’s Disease

Part of the Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology book series (AEMB,volume 1184)

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia characterized neuropathologically by senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). Early breakthroughs in AD research led to the discovery of amyloid-β as the major component of senile plaques and tau protein as the major component of NFTs. Shortly following the identification of the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide was the discovery that a genetic mutation in the amyloid precursor protein (APP), a type1 transmembrane protein, can be a cause of autosomal dominant familial AD (fAD). These discoveries, coupled with other breakthroughs in cell biology and human genetics, have led to a theory known as the “amyloid hypothesis”, which postulates that amyloid-β is the predominant driving factor in AD development. Nonetheless, more recent advances in imaging analysis, biomarkers and mouse models are now redefining this original hypothesis, as it is likely amyloid-β, tau and other pathophysiological mechanism such as inflammation, come together at a crossroads that ultimately leads to the development of AD.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Gilbert Gallardo & David M. Holtzman

  2. Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Gilbert Gallardo & David M. Holtzman

  3. Charles F. and Joanne Knight Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA

    David M. Holtzman

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  1. Gilbert Gallardo
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Correspondence to David M. Holtzman .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Life Sciences, Gakushuin University, Tokyo, Japan

    Akihiko Takashima

  2. Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA

    Benjamin Wolozin

  3. University of Lille, INSERM, CHU-Lille, Alzheimer & Tauopathies, LabEx DISTALZ, Lille, France

    Luc Buee

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Gallardo, G., Holtzman, D.M. (2019). Amyloid-β and Tau at the Crossroads of Alzheimer’s Disease. In: Takashima, A., Wolozin, B., Buee, L. (eds) Tau Biology. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 1184. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9358-8_16

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