Delivering Signal Molecules from Young Microglia to Aged Brain Tissue Enhances Removal of Amyloid

Microglia are a form of immune cell found in the central nervous system, responsible for a range of tasks including defense against pathogens and clearance of unwanted extracellular waste. Like all aspects of the immune system, their performance declines with age. Delivering young microglia to the aging brain has been proposed as a potential therapy by a number of research groups, and there has been some exploratory work in mice in recent years. Here researchers work in aged brain tissue sections rather than animal models, but show that introducing young microglia and the signals they produce enhances the removal of the amyloid-β deposits associated with Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer′s disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder and is pathologically defined by extracellular amyloid β (Aβ) deposition, neurofibrillary tangles, and neuroinflammation. Neuroimmune changes are tightly linked to the pathology of AD, as well as other neurodegenerative disorders. This link has been strengthened by recent discoveries of genes implicated in microglial function that are also risk factors for late onset AD. Interestingly, these newly identified risk factors may be functionally linked to microglial phagocytosis and Aβ clearance. Although microglia are well known for their phagocytic capacity and are found to surround amyloid plaques in mouse models of amyloidosis as well as in AD patients, their role in plaque clearance is still under debate. One o...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs