Final answer:
Alzheimer's disease involves neurofibrillary tangles of the tau protein and extracellular amyloid plaques, impairing neuronal function and leading to dementia. The disease, first characterized by Alois Alzheimer in 1911, falls under a class of diseases called proteopathies, where misfolded proteins accumulate and become toxic.
Step-by-step explanation:
Alzheimer's disease is characterized by progressive neuronal death and degeneration, leading to memory loss and dementia. Two classic pathological features of Alzheimer's are neurofibrillary tangles of hyperphosphorylated tau protein within neurons and extracellular amyloid plaques consisting of beta-amyloid (Aß) peptide fragments. Alois Alzheimer, the namesake of the disease, first described these phenomena in 1911. These tau protein tangles disrupt normal neuronal function, while amyloid plaques interfere with synaptic connections, critical to memory formation. Furthermore, Aß interacts negatively with glutamate transmission, potentially leading to excitotoxicity. The term 'proteopathy' describes diseases like Alzheimer's, where proteomic misfolding and accumulation become toxic, opening avenues for research into therapeutic interventions targeting protein accumulation.