MAPT and Alzheimer disease: Although the neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) that result from this pathophysiological process have long been appreciated as a central feature of neuropathies, such as Alzheimer's disease and dementia, it is now recognized that the oligomeric “seeds” of hyperphosphorylated Tau that initiate the formation of NFTs are sufficient for the neuronal cell death and cognitive deficits associated with these disorders [15].