Reduction of soluble Aβ and Tau, but not soluble Aβ alone, ameliorates cognitive decline in transgenic mice with plaques and tangles

Increasing evidence points to soluble assemblies of aggregating proteins as a major mediator of neuronal and synaptic dysfunction. In Alzheimer disease ( AD), soluble amyloid-beta (A beta) appears to be a key factor in inducing synaptic and cognitive abnormalities. Here we report the novel finding that soluble tau also plays a role in the cognitive decline in the presence of concomitant A beta pathology. We describe improved cognitive function following a reduction in both soluble A beta and tau levels after active or passive immunization in advanced aged 3xTg-AD mice that contain both amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). Notably, reducing soluble A beta alone did not improve the cognitive phenotype in mice with plaques and NFTs. Our results show that A beta immunotherapy reduces soluble tau and ameliorates behavioral deficit in old transgenic mice.