MRI Can Assess the Burden of Inflammatory Microglia in the Living Brain

Given the growing evidence for inflammatory and senescent microglia and astrocytes to drive the progression of neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, there is a need for practical, cost-effective ways to assess the burden of inflamed supporting cells in the brain. The senolytic combination of dasatinib and quercetin has been shown to clear senescent cells in the brain, and improve symptoms in animal models of neurodegeneration. Similarly, CSF1R inhibitors such as PLX3397 can clear microglia from the brain, a beneficial procedure when performed in mice with neuroinflammation. Trials in human patients will be that much easier to justify to the powers that be given a way to clearly assess the degree to which harmful cells are cleared by such treatments. Researchers have demonstrated that diffusion-weighted MRI (dw-MRI) can noninvasively and differentially detect the activation of microglia and astrocytes, two types of brain cells that are at the basis of neuroinflammation and its progression. Degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer's and other dementias, Parkinson's, or multiple sclerosis are a pressing and difficult problem to address. Sustained activation of two types of brain cells, microglia and astrocytes leads to chronic inflammation in the brain that is one of the causes of neurodegeneration and contributes to its progression. This is the first time it has been shown that the signal from this type of MRI can detect microglial and a...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs