Protein aggregates in a neuron (IMAGE)
Caption
An illustration of a brain cell in a person with Alzheimer's disease, showing the accumulation and clumping of tau proteins (blue squiggles) in the cytoplasm of a brain cell. Protein clumps, also known as aggregates, are thought to lead to cell death and dementia. New research suggests that such clumps may not cause brain cell death directly, but rather throw the cell's response to stress off balance so that it never gets switched off.
Credit
National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health
Usage Restrictions
No restrictions.
License
Public Domain