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Aggregation of tau protein into intracellular deposits is a pathognomonic feature of tauopathies such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and lowering tau is a prominent therapeutic strategy under development. However, the physiological function of tau protein is not well known, particularly in the periphery. Lowering tau protein risks disrupting its physiological role leading to unwanted effects. In this study, the presence of tau protein in cardiac tissue is confirmed and the functional role in the cardiovascular system and the consequences of its loss were explored. Isolated right and left atria and small mesenteric arteries from wild type and tau deficient (KO) mice of two age groups (13 and 23 months old) were used to assess cardiovascular phenotypes. Tau KO mice showed an increased systolic blood pressure and cardiac hypertrophy at 13 months, which was accompanied by a significantly lower right atrial rate and a subtle …