Pathogenesis
• Each of the etiologies are linked to the aggregation and precipitation of insoluble amyloid in the form of plaques in brain tissue and blood vessels
• There may be a lysosomal breakdown of amyloid where beta amyloid, a neurotoxin, is the end product
• It is thought once amyloid plaques form, complement proteins attach and attract microglia
– Release toxins to try to destroy the plaque
• Tau proteins detach from microtubules and form neurofibrillary tangles