Alzheimer’s and other Tauopathies
About Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Tauopathies
Alzheimer’s disease and other tauopathies are a group of progressive brain disorders characterized by abnormal changes in tau, a protein that normally supports and stabilizes neurons. In these conditions, tau becomes dysfunctional, clumps together, and disrupts communication between brain cells, ultimately leading to cognitive decline, memory loss, and changes in behavior or movement.
While Alzheimer’s disease is the most well-known tauopathy, other related disorders including frontotemporal dementia, progressive supranuclear palsy, and corticobasal degeneration also involve tau abnormalities but affect the brain in different ways. Understanding these conditions is critical for advancing research, improving diagnosis, and developing effective treatments for millions of people worldwide.
Tauopathies include Alzheimer’s disease (AD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD -tau), Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA), Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD), Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).1,2
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia, affecting approximately 7.2 million Americans aged 65 and older and accounts for 60-70% of the more than 57 million dementia cases worldwide.3-4
Primary symptoms include progressive memory impairment and cognitive decline, while other symptoms include agitation, aggression, psychosis. The average life expectancy after AD diagnosis is between 4 to 8 years.1,3,5
Symptoms result from neurodegeneration caused by pathological tau in frontal and temporal cortex, with involvement of other brain structures.1,6
Tau aggregation due to familial MAPT mutations or acquired factors, and resulting neurotoxicity are unifying mechanisms across tauopathies.6-7
Extensive preclinical data supports potential therapeutic benefit of MAPT gene silencing for AD and FTD.8-10
References
- Zhang, Y., Wu, K.-M., Yang, L., Dong, Q., & Yu, J.-T. (2022). Molecular Neurodegeneration, 17, 28.
- Goedert, M., Crowther, R. A., Scheres, S. H. W., & Spillantini, M. G. (2024). Cytoskeleton, 81(1), 95–102.
- Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 21(5).
- World Health Organization. (2025, March 31). Dementia [Fact sheet] (last accessed 16 November 2025)
- Koenig AM, Arnold SE, Streim JE. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2016 Jan;18(1):3.
- Langerscheidt et al 2024 J Neurology 271: 2992-3018;
- Farías G, Cornejo A, Jiménez J, Guzmán L, Maccioni RB. Curr Alzheimer Res. 2011 Sep;8(6):608-614.
- Mummery et al 2023 Nature Medicine 29: 1437–1447
- DeVos et al. Sci Transl Med. 2017; 9(374).
- Greaves and Rohrer 2019 J Neurol 26: 2075-2086