The neurons of the brain form intricate, shifting networks of synaptic connections. Synapses are constantly created and destroyed in regions important to memory and learning, and supporting cell populations of the brain aid in this process. Microglia, for example, are innate immune cells of the central nervous system, analogous to macrophages elsewhere in the body. Ingesting and destroying unwanted synapses is one of the tasks undertaken by this cell population. In recent years, researchers have focused on dysfunction in microglia as an important contribution to pathology in inflammatory <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurodegeneration…
Senescent Microglia Elevate the Destruction of Synapses to a Pathological Level
The neurons of the brain form intricate, shifting networks of synaptic connections. Synapses are constantly created and destroyed in regions important to memory and learning, and supporting cell populations of the brain aid in this process. Microglia, for example, are innate immune cells of the central nervous system, analogous to macrophages elsewhere in the body. Ingesting and destroying unwanted synapses is one of the tasks undertaken by this cell population. In recent years, researchers have focused on dysfunction in microglia as an important contribution to pathology in inflammatory <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurodegeneration…