Detection of pathological tau conformers in cerebrospinal fluid

Misfolded tau is a pathological hallmark of over 20 phenotypically distinct neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Researchers are beginning to speculate that misfolded tau may spread throughout the brain from a single locus like a prion; whether or not tau aggregates can cross the cell membrane remains unclear. To investigate the presence of misfolded tau in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with AD, we developed an amyloid seeding assay for tau. Our findings indicate that misfolded tau molecules migrate in the CSF through the extracellular space, supporting the possibility that misfolded tau may spread through the brain like a prion.