Tau as a marker for Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is an age-related dementia that has received increasing attention in recent years. The disease appears to be specific for humans and, moreover, its causes are unknown. Studies of the disease are complicated by the fact that a reliable diagnosis depends on post-mortem analysis of brain tissue, and useful animal or cell models are not yet available. This article discusses the possibility of using tau (a protein associated with the neurofibrillary tangles that are an indicator of AD) as a tool for further pursuing the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.