MAPT and tauopathy: However, under pathological conditions, the hyperphosphorylation of tau reduces its affinity for tubulin and is thought to drive abnormal aggregations of phosphorylated tau (p-tau), such as neuropil threads or neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), resulting in tauopathies (Wang and Mandelkow, 2016; Kovacs, 2017).