The toxic A[beta] oligomer and Alzheimer's disease: an emperor in need of clothes

Abstract

The 'toxic A[beta] oligomer' hypothesis has attracted considerable attention among Alzheimer's disease researchers as a way of resolving the lack of correlation between deposited amyloid-[beta] (A[beta]) in amyloid plaques-in terms of both amount and location-and cognitive impairment or neurodegeneration. However, the lack of a common, agreed-upon experimental description of the toxic A[beta] oligomer makes interpretation and direct comparison of data between different research groups impossible. Here we critically review the evidence supporting toxic A[beta] oligomers as drivers of neurodegeneration and make some suggestions that might facilitate progress in this complex field.