Nature Communications (May 2020)

Spread of pathological tau proteins through communicating neurons in human Alzheimer's disease

  • Jacob W. Vogel,
  • Yasser Iturria-Medina,
  • Olof T. Strandberg,
  • Ruben Smith,
  • Elizabeth Levitis,
  • Alan C. Evans,
  • Oskar Hansson,
  • Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative,
  • the Swedish BioFinder Study

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-15701-2
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 1
pp. 1 – 15

Abstract

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The tau protein is theorized to spread transneuronally in Alzheimers disease, though this theory remains unproven in humans. Our simulations of epidemic-like protein spreading across human brain networks support this theory, and suggest the spreading dynamics are modified by β-amyloid