A new view of twisted proteins could help scientists understand Alzheimer's. A critical molecule in the neurodegenerative disease has finally been mapped. Scientists still aren't sure what causes Alzheimer's—or how to treat it. A new study published this month in Nature marks a key milestone in Alzheimer's research. It demonstrates the first complete model of a tau filament, a protein structure found in the brain cells of Alzheimer's patients and thought to be the cause of the neurodegenerative disease. Many scientists believe that tau proteins are the molecular building blocks of Alzheimer’s disease. Within the cell, these proteins clump together and group into tangles. These tangles are thought to inhibit cell communication, form lesions, and eventually cause the memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s. Different arrangements of tau proteins, or “morphologies,” can accompany different neurodegenerative diseases such Par...
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