Amyloid and amyloid plaques are believed to be key to initiating a cascade of subsequent events, including the hyperphosphorylation and accumulation of neurofibrillary tangles comprised of tau protein, as well as changes in brain structure and functioning (e.g., decreased grey matter density, decreased hippocampal volume, increased white matter hyperintensities) that lead to dementia. This evidence concerns the gene MAPT and dementia.