Microglia News and Research

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Researchers analyze single-cell DNA sequencing for having a significant role in Alzheimer’s disease

The loss of functional neurons in the brain is a characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease. What, on the other hand, is the source of this loss?

21 Apr 2022

Microglia regulate the intrinsic excitability of neuronal subtypes differently

A new study reports that immune cell responses to bacteria affect the intrinsic excitability of rat neuronal subtypes differently.

20 Apr 2022

Critical signaling pathways in immune cells could reduce Alzheimer’s progression

According to Weill Cornell Medicine researchers, inhibiting a critical signaling route in brain-resident immune cells may reduce brain inflammation and hence halt the progression of the disease in Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative disorders.

15 Apr 2022

Study sheds light on genetic causes of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias

If we want to enhance our knowledge and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, we need to identify genetic risk factors.

7 Apr 2022

Noncoding DNA mutations prevent the brain from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

When a condition is connected to a genetic mutation, it is generally negative news.

4 Apr 2022

Discovery provides new insights into the understanding of tolerance to endotoxic death

Sepsis is a high-mortality disease that arises when the body's immune reaction to pathogens causes multi-organ defects.

9 Mar 2022

Astrocyte networks are essential for spatial learning and memory formation, study shows

Astrocytes form large networks of interconnected cells in the central nervous system. When these cell-to-cell couplings are disrupted in the brain of adult mice, the animals are no longer able to store spatial information.

9 Mar 2022

Microglia help neurons grow synapses critical to cognitive functioning, research finds

Microglia, the immune cells of the brain, are known for eating up unwanted items like germs and debris, much as their counterparts do in the rest of the body.

8 Mar 2022

UCI biologists discover how a gene variant protects against Alzheimer's disease

While the word "mutation" may conjure up alarming notions, a mutation in brain immune cells serves a positive role in protecting people against Alzheimer's disease.

15 Feb 2022

Healthy sleep pattern alleviates some of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease

According to research, the brain’s capacity to clear a protein closely associated with Alzheimer’s disease is tied to the circadian cycle.

14 Feb 2022

Gene mutation for Parkinson's disease drives mislocalization of iron in activated microglia

A common gene mutation for Parkinson's disease drives mislocalization of iron in activated microglia, according to a new study publishing December 16th in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, by Mark Cookson of the National Institute on Aging and colleagues.

17 Dec 2021

Cancer drug effective against Alzheimer’s disease, says research

According to recent research carried out by researchers from the Weill Cornell Medicine, a gene mutation associated with Alzheimer’s disease changes a signaling pathway in specific immune cells of individuals with the disease.

7 Dec 2021

Immune cells in the brain mediate the link between gut microbiome and amyloid beta deposits

New research from the University of Chicago points to microglia, key immune cells in the brain, as a key mediator in the relationship between the gut microbiome and b-amyloid deposits in male mice in a model of Alzheimer's disease.

3 Dec 2021

Researchers investigate how brain's immune cells relate to a gene mutation in Alzheimer's disease

When immune cells move throughout the brain, they act as the first line of defense against viruses, toxic materials and damaged neurons, rushing over to clear out them.

8 Nov 2021

Multiple sclerosis drug improves memory in mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Losing memory is a hallmark of Alzheimer's, a symptom of the disease that depletes a patient's quality of life. Improving memory and slowing cognitive changes caused by the disease is an ongoing challenge for researchers seeking to develop novel therapies.

8 Nov 2021

Novel research reveals a vital but previously unknown role for microglia

University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have revealed a vital but previously unknown role for immune cells that protect the brain from disease and injury: The cells, known as microglia, also help regulate blood flow and maintain the brain's critical blood vessels.

18 Oct 2021

Brain immune cells take up large amounts of sugar at the beginning of neurodegenerative disease

At the beginning of neurodegenerative disease, the immune cells of the brain – the "microglia" – take up glucose, a sugar molecule, to a much greater extent than hitherto assumed.

18 Oct 2021

Genome Research' special issue covers advanced developments in single-cell genomics

Genome Research (https://genome.org) publishes a special issue highlighting novel advances and insights in Single-cell Genomics.

5 Oct 2021

Microglial cells join together to break down toxic proteins more quickly

To break down toxic proteins more quickly, immune cells in the brain can join together to form networks when needed. This is shown by a joint study of the University of Bonn, the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, and the Institut François Jacob in France.

23 Sep 2021

Researchers reverse Kleefstra syndrome after birth in a mouse model

Scientists announced the reversal of Kleefstra syndrome—a genetic disorder leading to intellectual disability.