Investigators at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have zeroed in on a target that drives the toxic accumulation of tau in the brains of people with a variety of neurological diseases, including Alzheimer's. "Our research shows how the abundance of a protein called appoptosin increases tau aggregates called tangles, which are toxic to the brain and lead to the progressive deterioration of the central nervous system," said Huaxi Xu, a professor in the Degenerative Diseases Program at SBP. "By understanding how appoptosin drives this process, we can now look at ways to inhibit key triggering points and potentially slow the progression of this class of neurodegenerative diseases which are collectively known as tauopathies." Release