Differential rates of internalisation and effects on reactivity of postmortem human tau in human astrocytes

Highly phosphorylated tau aggregates emerge in affected areas of human tauopathy brain as disease progresses as a result of prion‐like spread and/or replication of seeds. Evidence suggests that astrocytes may influence tau spread. However, the efficiency of uptake of disease‐associated tau species is not well defined, nor are the effects of tau uptake on astrocyte reactivity and function. We are investigating tau uptake in human astrocytes, and how resulting changes in their reactivity and functions affect their support for human neurons in vitro.