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Alzheimer’s disease: tau protein spreads along neural networks
24 avril 2026
By Elodie Vaz | Published on April 24, 2026 | 3 min readAlzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, is characterized by progressive neurodegeneration. It initially affects memory, then gradually impairs all cognitive functions, ultimately compromising daily independence. Biologically, two major lesions are involved: extracellular deposits of beta-amyloid peptides and intracellular aggre
By Elodie Vaz | Published on April 24,
2026 | 3 min read
Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, is characterized by progressive neurodegeneration. It initially affects memory, then gradually impairs all cognitive functions, ultimately compromising daily independence. Biologically, two major lesions are involved: extracellular deposits of beta-amyloid peptides and intracellular aggregates of tau protein.
Normally involved in stabilizing neuronal microtubules, tau becomes pathological when it aggregates into neurofibrillary tangles, contributing to neuronal death and cognitive decline.
A study published on April 8, 2026, in Neuron addresses a key question that remains poorly understood: the mechanism by which tau pathology spreads through the brain. Although the progressive distribution of lesions follows a well-described pattern—from the temporal lobe to the neocortex—the exact mechanisms of this propagation remain hypothetical. The researchers therefore aimed to determine whether and how tau aggregates move between neurons and across brain networks.
Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, is characterized by progressive neurodegeneration. It initially affects memory, then gradually impairs all cognitive functions, ultimately compromising daily independence. Biologically, two major lesions are involved: extracellular deposits of beta-amyloid peptides and intracellular aggregates of tau protein.
Normally involved in stabilizing neuronal microtubules, tau becomes pathological when it aggregates into neurofibrillary tangles, contributing to neuronal death and cognitive decline.
A study published on April 8, 2026, in Neuron addresses a key question that remains poorly understood: the mechanism by which tau pathology spreads through the brain. Although the progressive distribution of lesions follows a well-described pattern—from the temporal lobe to the neocortex—the exact mechanisms of this propagation remain hypothetical. The researchers therefore aimed to determine whether and how tau aggregates move between neurons and across brain networks.
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Scientific reference
DeCasien A, et al. Tau seeds induce neurofibrillary tangle formation across brain regions. Neuron [Internet]. 2026 [cited 2026 Apr 17];
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