Memory impairment by soluble oligomeric tau

Tau is a protein found inside nerve cells that is important for maintaining cell structure. In Alzheimer's disease, however, tau becomes abnormal and forms neurofibrillary tangles, one of the characteristic features of Alzheimer's pathology. Another feature of Alzheimer's disease is dysfunction of synapses, specialized regions of nerve cells responsible for sending rapid signals through the brain and which are important for learning and memory.