What happens in brain cells affected by Alzheimer’s disease?

Affecting over 50 million people, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and primarily occurs in people over the age of 65. The pathology of the disease in the brain is mainly characterized by two factors: beta-amyloid plaques outside the nerve cells and tau proteins. The tau protein stabilizes tube-like structures (microtubules) inside cells, which are relevant for the transport of nutrients in nerve cells. Beta-amyloid is a protein present in the body that is formed by the cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein (APP).