SORLA protein may protect the brain from toxic tau tangles

Alzheimer's disease and many other forms of neurodegeneration share a common culprit. In these diseases, tau proteins that normally stabilize neuronal microtubule filaments within our nervous system networks instead form noxious knots and gradually disrupt the circuits they would otherwise preserve.

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys published findings July 17, 2026, in Science Advances showing that a different protein offers protection against the effects of these lethal loops. The results suggest that future research may yield new treatments capable of boosting this protein's ability to defend the brain.

Normally, tau proteins do not demand any such security measures. They are found throughout the brain and nervous system, helping to maintain the shape and structure of our neuronal wiring.

In certain diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, tau proteins clump together inside nerve cells forming what are known as tau tangles. These toxic tangles are linked to cognitive impairment and nerve cell death in diseases known as tauopathies.