From: What is the evidence that tau pathology spreads through prion-like propagation?
Name | Definition | Structural criteria | Molecular criteria |
---|---|---|---|
Tau pathology | Broad term designing abnormal molecular changes of normal tau as well as morphological changes. | Mislocalization of tau and/or pathological tau assembly in inclusion or aggregate. | Post-translational modifications of tau. Tau insolubility. |
Tau inclusion | Morphologically distinct subcellular structure inside a cell. | Microscopically visible structure. Made of tau aggregates. | Properties of tau aggregates. |
Tau aggregate | Assembly of tau into oligomers, fibrils, filaments, and NFT | Molecular tau assembly based on highly ordered ß-sheet structure. | Positive with ß-sheet (amyloid) sensitive dyes (Thioflavine T, Congo Red, LCOs). Tau hyperphosphorylation |
Tau seed | A tau species inducing aggregation of tau | Molecular tau assemblies of various size providing a template | Positive with ß-sheet sensitive dyes |
Liquid coacervates of tau | Membraneless organelles in a state of Liquid-liquid phase separation | Coacervation of tau into liquid droplets | Can acquire ß-sheet structure. |
Tangles | Neuronal tau inclusions in somata | Composed of bundles of PHFs and SFs. Gallyas and Campbell-Switzer positive. | 3R and 4R tau positive in AD |
Neuropil threads | Tau inclusions in nerve cell dendrites | Composed of bundles of PHFs and SFs. Gallyas and Campbell-Switzer positive. | 3R and 4R tau positive in AD |
Dystrophic neurites | Axons forming the neuritic corona of plaques | Nerve cell processes in contact with Aß deposits. Some of them contain PHFs and SFs and are Gallyas and Campbell-Switzer positive. | 3R and 4R tau positive in AD |
Argyrophilic grains | Neuronal granular tau inclusions in dendrites | Tau filaments. Gallyas positive. Campbell-Switzer negative. | 4R tau positive in AGD |
Pick bodies | Spherical tau inclusions in nerve cell somata | Filamentous and vesicular material. Gallyas-negative. Campbell-Switzer positive. | 3R tau positive in Pick disease. |
Oligodendroglial coiled bodies | Tau inclusions in cell bodies of oligodendrocytes | PHF/SF like filaments. Gallyas positive. Campbell-Switzer negative. | 4R tau positive in PSP and CBD |
Globular oligodendroglial inclusions | Globular oligodendroglial tau inclusion | Gallyas positive. | Mainly 4R tau positive in GGTs |
Tufted astrocytes | Astrocytes with thin and long radial processes containing tau inclusions | Tau filaments in cytoplasm and proximal portions of astrocytic processes. Gallyas positive. Campbell-Switzer negative. | 4R tau positive in PSP |
Astrocytic plaques | Astrocytes containing tau inclusions in a corona-like arrangment | Tau filaments in distal portions of astrocytic processes. Gallyas positive. Campbell-Switzer negative. | 4R tau positive in CBD |
Thorn-shaped astrocytes | Astrocytes with thorn-shaped processes containing tau inclusions | Spine-like perinuclear tau filaments. Gallyas positive. | 4R tau positive in ARTAG |