Targeting Microglia in the Aging Brain

The progressive age-related dysfunction of microglia in the aging brain is implicated in the progression of neurodegenerative disease, as well as the increased inflammation and forms of pathology found in the brain tissue of older individuals. In mice, clearance of microglia can be efficiently achieved and leads to a rapid repopulation of the brain with new microglia, as well as improvements in measures of brain function. Similarly, targeted destruction of senescent microglia and other supporting cells in the brain via the use of senolytic drugs that can pass the blood-brain barrier has been shown to reduce chronic inflammation and pathology in mouse models of neurodegeneration. Microglia, far from being simply 'brain glue', play an important role as the brain's resident immune cells. There is some precedent for the toxicity of senescent cells, with several studies identifying that the elimination of senescent cells as potential mechanisms for countering their deleterious effects. In the case of microglia, senescence as a descriptor is sometimes used interchangeably with dystrophic. 'Dystrophy' now tends to refer more to morphological changes, whereas 'senescence' may be used to refer to specific secretory phenotypes, particularly associated with ageing. These features have been observed in healthy but aged brains, although it has also been suggested by a study using human brain tissue that senescent microglia are exclusively a disease-associated phenotype. Sp...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs