tau

[tou, taw, tahv, tawv]

noun

1. the 19th letter of the Greek alphabet (T,τ ).

2. the consonant sound represented by this letter.

3. tav.

4. Physics.,  Also tauon tau lepton.

5. Also called tau protein. Biochemistry.,  a protein that is an important component of nerve cells, helping to maintain their function and structure: in the brain, distortions in the protein’s molecular shape is associated with the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

tau

/ taʊ, tɔː /

noun

1. the 19th letter in the Greek alphabet (Τ, τ), a consonant, transliterated as t

Word History and Origins

Origin of tau¹

1250–1300; Middle English < Latin < Greek taû < Semitic; tav

Word History and Origins

Origin of tau¹

C13: via Latin from Greek, of Semitic origin; see _tav

Example Sentences

Researchers at Tokyo Metropolitan University have turned to concepts from polymer physics to better understand a central feature of Alzheimer's disease: the formation of tau protein fibrils.

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These specialized microglia also slow the buildup of amyloid plaques and the spread of toxic tau proteins, which are both major hallmarks of Alzheimer's.

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When the team administered the S3QEL compound to mice engineered to model frontotemporal dementia, they observed reduced astrocyte activation, lower levels of inflammatory gene expression, and a decrease in a tau modification linked to dementia.

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In contrast, participants who were largely inactive showed faster accumulation of tau proteins in the brain, which is associated with Alzheimer's progression, and more rapid declines in thinking skills and daily functioning.

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They found that inhibiting the activity of this protein lowered levels of tau, a toxic protein linked to Alzheimer's pathology, and reduced damage to brain tissue.

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