A 62-year-old man presents with progressive memory loss and confusion over the past year. His family reports that he has difficulty recognizing familiar faces and has experienced frequent falls. MRI shows cortical atrophy, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis reveals elevated tau protein and β-amyloid plaques, suggesting a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Which of the following best describes the role of protein misfolding in Alzheimer’s disease?
