Figure 3.

Schematic representation of the amyloid aggregation process. The process originates with the formation of amyloidogenic states, which are highly disordered and which possess an intrinsic propensity to further assembly into oligomeric species that are highly reactive (nucleation phase). The oligomeric species rapidly evolve to the formation of insoluble protofibrils and, eventually, the fibril growth proceeds by further association of protofibrils (elongation phase).