The Essential Role of Soluble Aβ Oligomers in Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disease characterized by amyloid plaque and neurofibrillary tangles (NFT). With the finding that soluble nonfibrillar A beta levels actually correlate strongly with the severity of the disease, the initial focus on amyloid plaques shifted to the contemporary concept that AD memory failure is caused by soluble A beta oligomers. The soluble A beta are known to be more neurotoxicthan fibrillar A beta species. In this paper, we summarize the essential role of soluble A beta oligomers in AD and discuss therapeutic strategies that target soluble A beta oligomers.