Figure 1.

Graphical representation of the three primary pathophysiological manifestations of Alzheimer’s disease. (A) The amyloid plaque in the cerebral cortex is formed as a result of APP cleavage to form the Amyloid-beta monomer, which can subsequently form soluble oligomers. These oligomers can exert neurotoxic effects as they are, but may also assemble into insoluble protofibrils and later fibrils, which compose the plaques. (B) Depicted within a pyramidal neuron of the hippocampus, the neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) is localized to the cell body and results from the hyperphosphorylation of tau protein, which aggregates into paired helical filaments (PHFs). (C) Death of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons is a prominent marker of Alzheimer’s disease.