Alzheimer's disease, the most prevalent cause of dementia, is still defined by the combined presence of amyloid and tau, but researchers are gradually moving away from the simple assumption of linear causality as proposed in the original amyloid hypothesis. Age-related, protective, and disease-promoting factors probably interact with the core mechanisms of the disease. Amyloid β42, and tau proteins are established core cerebrospinal biomarkers; novel candidate biomarkers include amyloid β oligomers and synaptic markers.The key pathological changes observed in AD brain tissue are amyloid-β (Aβ) peptidedeposited extracellularly in diffuse and neuritic plaques, and hyperphosphorylated tau (ptau) protein, a microtubule assembly protein accumulating intracellularly as neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs).

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