New 'Unifying Theory' May Explain How Alzheimer's Emerges in The Brain

A new study finds amyloid-beta peptides and tau proteins compete for the same microtubule binding sites in vitro.

The researchers mixed purified amyloid-beta, tau and tubulin and observed fluorescent amyloid-beta displace tau from microtubules.

The team proposes that tau becomes pathogenic after displacement by amyloid-beta, causing microtubule destabilization and tau aggregation.

The work, published in PNAS Nexus, may reframe how labs interpret amyloid and tau roles but was conducted with purified proteins outside cells.