Is intractable epilepsy a tauopathy?

Abstract

Tau exists in neuronal axons and glial cells of the central nervous system and contributes to the maintenance of the unique cell morphology. It functions in axon elongation, cell polarity formation and microtubule stabilization. Aggregates and hyper-phosphorylated tau proteins are classical components of neurofibrillary lesions in numerous neurodegenerative disorders, which are called "tauopathies". Recent studies have demonstrated that tau-associated genes and proteins and tau phosphorylation were abnormal in intractable epilepsy. Therefore, the discovery of the dysfunctional tau in intractable epilepsy opens a new window in the study of central tauopathy.