MAPT and tauopathy: The identification of mutations in the human tau gene, which led to the neurodegenerative conditions commonly known as frontotemporal dementia or tauopathies, altered perception.The notion that the alterations in tau found in AD may be responsible for cell death even if they are secondary to Aβ toxicity stems from the observation that even relatively minor changes in tau can trigger neuronal death (Schenk et al., 2006).