Cited by 1,767Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration MechanismsNeuroscience and Neuropharmacology ResearchNeurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms

Microglia emerge as central players in brain disease

Salter, Michael W, Stevens, Beth·2017·Nature Medicine

Abstract

There has been an explosion of new findings recently giving us insights into the involvement of microglia in central nervous system (CNS) disorders. A host of new molecular tools and mouse models of disease are increasingly implicating this enigmatic type of nervous system cell as a key player in conditions ranging from neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism to neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and chronic pain. Contemporaneously, diverse roles are emerging for microglia in the healthy brain, from sculpting developing neuronal circuits to guiding learning-associated plasticity. Understanding the physiological functions of these cells is crucial to determining their roles in disease. Here we focus on recent developments in our rapidly expanding understanding of the function, as well as the dysfunction, of microglia in disorders of the CNS.

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Crossref · 10.1038/nm.4397

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166 of 166 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • MG phagocytosis is important in AD.

    “Considering the importance of MG phagocytosis in AD29,30”
  • Microglia shift from a resting to an activated state when they recognize a stimulus in the CNS, characterized by morphological changes and modulations in gene expression including pro- and anti-inflammatory molecules and microglial surface receptors.

    “Microglia will shift from the resting status to an activated state when they recognize a stimulus in CNS, characterized by the morphological changes and modulations in the gene expression, including pro- and anti-inflammatory molecules and microglial surface receptors.”
  • Microglia contribute to the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders.

    “recent genetic studies provide evidence that microglia contribute to the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders (Salter and Stevens, 2017).”

    From Microbiome–microglia connections via the gut–brain axis (2019) · cites this paper as Salter and Stevens, 2017

  • Microglia exhibit several beneficial functions in the brain such as clearance of cellular debris and orchestration of appropriate immune responses, but their chronic activation can lead to toxic neuroinflammation and aberrant pruning of synapses.

    “While microglia exhibit several beneficial functions in the brain such as clearance of cellular debris and orchestration of appropriate immune responses, their chronic activation can lead to toxic neuroinflammation and aberrant pruning of synapses [203, 204].”

    From Genetic architecture of Alzheimer's disease (2020) · cites this paper as [203]

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Authors
Salter, M. W., & Stevens, B.
Affiliations
  • University of Toronto (CA)
  • Broad Institute (US)
Corresponding author
Salter, Michael W
Venue
Nature Medicine
Published
2017-09
Volume
23
Issue
9
Pages
1018-1027
ISSN
  • 1078-8956 (ISSN-L)
  • 1546-170X
OpenAlex
W2753593979
Cited by
1,767
References
166
Citations by year
2026: 170 · 2025: 210 · 2024: 198 · 2023: 194 · 2022: 231 · 2021: 212 · 2020: 230 · 2019: 185 · 2018: 125 · 2017: 10 · 2014: 1 · 2012: 1
FWCI
14.51
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Nature Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (U54HD090255)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Developmental Neuroscience › Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms
Keywords
microglia, central nervous system disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders, autism spectrum disorder, neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer's disease, chronic pain, neural circuit development, synaptic plasticity, mouse models of human disease, microglial dysfunction
MeSH terms
Alzheimer Disease, Animals, Autistic Disorder, Brain Diseases, Central Nervous System Diseases, Disease Models, Animal, Humans, Inflammation, Neuronal Plasticity, Phagocytosis, Cell Death, Microglia, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Mice, Chronic Pain, Neurodevelopmental Disorders

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