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neurofibrillary tangle
noun
: a pathological accumulation of paired helical filaments composed of abnormally formed tau protein that is found chiefly in the cytoplasm of neurons of the brain and especially the cerebral cortex and hippocampus and that occurs typically in Alzheimer's disease
Examples of neurofibrillary tangle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The three main focuses are on neurofibrillary tangles, amyloid-beta and cerebral atrophy.
—Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 4 Dec. 2023
Eventually, the pileup overwhelms and kills the cell, leaving neurofibrillary tangles, which appear as ominous dark smears under a microscope.
—Celia Ford, WIRED, 12 Sep. 2023
Those two lesions are beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles.
—Scientific American, 13 Aug. 2019
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Word History
First Known Use
1963, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of neurofibrillary tangle was
in 1963
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Cite this Entry
“Neurofibrillary tangle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neurofibrillary%20tangle. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Medical Definition
neurofibrillary tangle
noun
: a pathological accumulation of paired helical filaments composed of abnormally formed tau protein that is found chiefly in the cytoplasm of nerve cells of the brain and especially the cerebral cortex and hippocampus and that occurs typically in Alzheimer's disease
More from Merriam-Webster on neurofibrillary tangle
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about neurofibrillary tangle
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