Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a highly prevalent disease in the elderly and is cha

Question

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a highly prevalent disease in the elderly and is characterized by progressive memory loss and dementia. Patients with AD typically have neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques in their brain, which lead to the degeneration of neurons.Neurofibrillary tangles consist of aggregates of a protein known as Tau. Tau normally stabilizes microtubules. In AD, because Tau proteins form into tangles, Tau stops stabilizing microtubules. Microtubules are very important in the axons of neurons. Axons are the long, slender projections that neurons use to communicate with each other.

Based on what you know about microtubules and what I just told you about axons, describe two functions of microtubules that you think would be especially important in axons and would be lost when Tau stops stabilizing microtubules in AD patients.

NEURON Normal Alzheimers Neurofibrilla Mitochondrion angles Nucleus Axon terminal Cell body Myelin sheath Neuron Amyloid plaques Node of Synapse Dendrite anvier Schwann cell Axon

Explanation / Answer

Based on the information about axons above, the stabilization of microtubules is very essential for functioning of axons. They can be referred to as the brain of the neuron which play an important role in spatial placement of the organelles. Not just that, microtubules are responsible for occurence of mental events and for building of structures for changing axons and dendrites. The migration of the neuron is dependent on the microtubule; for estabhlishing polar structure of the axon. They play an essential role in transport of oraganelles and materials for longer distances. They form an integral part in controlling of the signalling cascade at various parts of the axon with unique spines.

When Tau stops stabilising microtubules, they will be no longer able to place the organelles in their respective positions. Further disruption in the stabilisation of microtubules would disrupt the signalling cascade of the axons, materials will no longer be transported; neurons won't migrate and would be clustered, which would finally lead to degeneration of the neurons. The mental health of the person would be severely affected.

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