Cited by 969Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration MechanismsImmune responses and vaccinationsInflammasome and immune disorders

Innate immune memory in the brain shapes neurological disease hallmarks

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Wendeln, Ann-Christin, Degenhardt, Karoline, Kaurani, Lalit, Gertig, Michael, Ulas, Thomas, Jain, Gaurav, Wagner, Jessica, Häsler, Lisa M. +16 more·2018·Nature

Abstract

Innate immune memory is a vital mechanism of myeloid cell plasticity that occurs in response to environmental stimuli and alters subsequent immune responses. Two types of immunological imprinting can be distinguished-training and tolerance. These are epigenetically mediated and enhance or suppress subsequent inflammation, respectively. Whether immune memory occurs in tissue-resident macrophages in vivo and how it may affect pathology remains largely unknown. Here we demonstrate that peripherally applied inflammatory stimuli induce acute immune training and tolerance in the brain and lead to differential epigenetic reprogramming of brain-resident macrophages (microglia) that persists for at least six months. Strikingly, in a mouse model of Alzheimer's pathology, immune training exacerbates cerebral β-amyloidosis and immune tolerance alleviates it; similarly, peripheral immune stimulation modifies pathological features after stroke. Our results identify immune memory in the brain as an important modifier of neuropathology.

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Crossref · 10.1038/s41586-018-0023-4

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  • Amyloid and inflammation trigger and exacerbate pathological changes in the AD brain.

    “Next we tested the effect of Aβ42 and LPS on oxidative stress response in microglial cells as amyloid and inflammation trigger and exacerbate pathological changes in AD brain (Wendeln et al., 2018).”

    From Alzheimer's-associated PU.1 expression levels regulate microglial inflammatory response (2021) · cites this paper as Wendeln et al., 2018

    In “Immune memory shapes neuropathology” (page not provided), the paper reports that amyloid plaques activate microglia and that a single LPS exposure increased amyloid burden in an AD mouse model. The claim is too broad about inflammation exacerbating pathology: four LPS exposures instead decreased amyloid burden. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Peripheral insults that cause a systemic inflammatory response might affect ongoing inflammation in the central nervous system mainly by microglial activation, production of inflammatory molecules, and recruitment of peripheral immune cells into the brain, shaping a cerebral inflammatory milieu that may affect neuronal function.

    “peripheral insults that cause a systemic inflammatory response might affect ongoing inflammation in the CNS mainly by microglial activation, production of inflammatory molecules, as well as recruitment of peripheral immune cells into the brain, thus shaping a cerebral inflammatory milieu that may seriously affect neuronal function (50, 52, 53).”

    From The Role of Short-Chain Fatty Acids From Gut Microbiota in Gut-Brain Communication (2020) · cites this paper as [53]

    Split into 2 atoms — 0 confirmed, 2 partially supported, 0 disputed, 0 misattributed, 0 unverifiable. Expand the claim to see per-atom verdicts.

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Nonspecific microglia activation induced by lipopolysaccharide does not have the same amyloid-promoting effect as myelin dysfunction, as increases, decreases or no changes in amyloid burden have been reported.

    “However, nonspecific microglia activation induced by lipopolysaccharide does not have the same amyloid-promoting effect as myelin dysfunction, as increases, decreases or no changes in amyloid burden have been reported48–51.”

    From Myelin dysfunction drives amyloid-β deposition in models of Alzheimer’s disease (2023) · cites this paper as [49]

    In “Immune memory shapes neuropathology” (page unavailable), the paper reports that one LPS injection increased plaque load and total amyloid-β, whereas four injections decreased both. This supports the claim that LPS does not have a uniformly amyloid-promoting effect, but this paper does not report unchanged amyloid burden or compare LPS with myelin dysfunction. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • A Hif1a epigenetic and transcriptomic signature was recently identified in microglia following immune training by peripheral LPS administration in APP/PS1 mice.

    “A Hif1a epigenetic and transcriptomic signature was recently identified in microglia following immune training by peripheral LPS administration in APP/PS1 mice65.”

    From Transcriptional signature in microglia associated with Aβ plaque phagocytosis (2021) · cites this paper as [65]

    The Microglial molecular profiles section reports HIF-1 pathway enhancer changes and a Hif1a-containing gene-expression module associated with 1xLPS-treated APP mice. However, the Extended Data identifies the mice as APP23, not APP/PS1. Page numbers are not supplied in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.90)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Animal and in-vitro studies demonstrate that inflammatory stimuli may initiate long-term priming of the microglia, peripheral CD4+ and CD8+ T cells to a proinflammatory state, potentially increasing amyloid plaque deposition.

    “Animal and in-vitro studies demonstrate that inflammatory stimuli may initiate long-term priming of the microglia, peripheral CD4+ and CD8+ T cells to a proinflammatory state, (352-354) potentially increasing amyloid plaque deposition.(355)”

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Authors
Wendeln, A.-C., Degenhardt, K., Kaurani, L., Gertig, M., Ulas, T., Jain, G., Wagner, J., Häsler, L. M., Wild, K., Skodras, A., Blank, T., Staszewski, O., Datta, M., Centeno, T. P., Capece, V., Islam, M. R., Kerimoglu, C., Staufenbiel, M., Schultze, J. L., Beyer, M., Prinz, M., Jucker, M., Fischer, A., & Neher, J. J.
Affiliations
  • German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DE)
  • University of Bonn (DE)
  • University of Freiburg (DE)
Corresponding author
Neher, Jonas J.
Venue
Nature
Published
2018-04
Volume
556
Issue
7701
Pages
332-338
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
OpenAlex
W2796983933
Cited by
956
References
51
Citations by year
2026: 117 · 2025: 102 · 2024: 120 · 2023: 106 · 2022: 121 · 2021: 135 · 2020: 104 · 2019: 90 · 2018: 60
FWCI
43.97
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DZNE Pub (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Immune responses and vaccinations
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Inflammasome and immune disorders
Keywords
trained immunity, immunological imprinting, immune tolerance, microglia, epigenetic reprogramming, neuroinflammation, Alzheimer's disease, beta-amyloidosis, stroke, neuropathology
MeSH terms
Alzheimer Disease, Amyloidosis, Animals, Brain, Disease Models, Animal, Female, Gene Expression Regulation, Humans, Immune Tolerance, Immunity, Innate, Immunologic Memory, Inflammation, Male, Nervous System Diseases, Microglia, Stroke, Epigenesis, Genetic, Mice

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