MAPT and tauopathy: However, it is important to note that neuronal dysfunction and cell death precede the formation of NFTs in both human patients and animal models, suggesting that NFTs may not be the primary causative factor responsible for exerting tau toxicity [193,196,197], although several lines of evidence suggest that there is a correlation between neuronal apoptosis and the formation of NFTs [24], and the neuronal dysfunction and behavioral changes in tauopathy animals coincide with the occurrence of NFTs [198].