Figure 2.

Schematic representation of the positive loop between elevated OS and tau pathogenesis. Mitochondria is the major ROS resource in neurons. Increased ROS leads to elevated OS, which induces tau pathogenesis by the regulation of the activity of tau kinases/phosphatases. On the other hand, the accumulation of pathological forms of tau protein might induce mitochondrial damage and thus, ROS production. We speculate that there is a positive loop where the OS generated in the early stages of the disease induces tau pathology and, in consequence, pathological tau promotes mitochondrial impairment and more OS, leading to neuronal death.