AUTHOR=d‘Errico Paolo , Meyer-Luehmann Melanie 

TITLE=Mechanisms of Pathogenic Tau and Aβ Protein Spreading in Alzheimer’s Disease

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2020

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/aging-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2020.00265

DOI=10.3389/fnagi.2020.00265

ISSN=1663-4365

ABSTRACT=Alzheimer´s disease (AD) is pathologically defined by the presence of amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques, neurofibrillary tangles and neuronal loss. In general, the aggregation of Aβ is considered an essential trigger in AD pathogenesis that gives rise to neurofibrillary tangles, neuronal dysfunction and dementia. During the process leading to AD, tau and Aβ first misfold and form aggregates in one brain region, from where they spread to interconnected areas of the brain thereby inducing its gradual morphological and functional deterioration. In this mini-review, we present an overview of the current literature on the spreading mechanisms of Aβ and tau pathology in AD since a more profound understanding is necessary to design therapeutic approaches aimed at preventing or halting disease progression.