The DOI matches its Crossref record; 165 of the 165 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Microglia in Brain Development, Homeostasis, and Neurodegeneration
Open accessAbstract
Advances in human genetics have implicated a growing number of genes in neurodegenerative diseases, providing insight into pathological processes. For Alzheimer disease in particular, genome-wide association studies and gene expression studies have emphasized the pathogenic contributions from microglial cells and motivated studies of microglial function/dysfunction. Here, we summarize recent genetic evidence for microglial involvement in neurodegenerative disease with a focus on Alzheimer disease, for which the evidence is most compelling. To provide context for these genetic discoveries, we discuss how microglia influence brain development and homeostasis, how microglial characteristics change in disease, and which microglial activities likely influence the course of neurodegeneration. In all, we aim to synthesize varied aspects of microglial biology and highlight microglia as possible targets for therapeutic interventions in neurodegenerative disease.
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“Microglia constantly eliminate cell debris and dead cells through highly efficient phagocytosis using specific recognition, engulfment, and degradation processes to maintain brain homeostasis in health and disease [310,325,326,327].”
From Revisiting the Pathogenesis of X-Linked Adrenoleukodystrophy (2025) · cites this paper as [327]
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“Once abnormally reactive in AD, microglia can promote synaptic and neuronal loss while exacerbating tau proteinopathy11,12.”
From Somatic cancer variants enriched in Alzheimer’s disease microglia-like cells drive inflammatory and proliferative states (2026) · cites this paper as [12]
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“Studies of genetic risk for sporadic AD have suggested that microglia not only respond to disease but modulate disease course13.”
From Human and mouse single-nucleus transcriptomics reveal TREM2-dependent and TREM2-independent cellular responses in Alzheimer’s disease (2020) · cites this paper as [13]
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1 retracted
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Zhao, C., Huang, Z., Li, R., Hua, L., Li, H., & Wang, B. (2026) · Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2026.1835425 · Cited by 1
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Self-citationWang, T., Wang, L., Cao, J., Zhao, Y., He, Z., & Lu, F. (2026) · Frontiers in Immunology · doi:10.3389/fimmu.2026.1956600
Dejanovic, B., Figley, M. D., Weisman, E. F., Kiragasi, B., Gergits, F. W., Larson, K., Renoux, A. J., Rajagovindan, R., Pandya, B. A., Houze, J. B., et al. (2026) · Science Translational Medicine · doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.aec5740 · Cited by 1
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Metadata
- Authors
- Bohlen, C. J., Friedman, B. A., Dejanovic, B., & Sheng, M.
- Affiliations
- Genentech (US)
- Venue
- Annual Review of Genetics
- Publisher
- Annual Reviews
- Published
- 2019-12-03
- Volume
- 53
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 263-288
- ISSN
- 0066-4197 (ISSN-L)
- 1545-2948
- OpenAlex
- W2972808567
- Cited by
- 212
- References
- 165
- Citations by year
- 2026: 17 · 2025: 29 · 2024: 53 · 2023: 36 · 2022: 33 · 2021: 26 · 2020: 18
- FWCI
- 1.99
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Annual Review of Genetics (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neurological Disease Mechanisms and Treatments
- Keywords
- microglia, Alzheimer's disease, neurodegeneration, brain development, brain homeostasis, microglial dysfunction, genetic risk factors, genome-wide association study, therapeutic target
- MeSH terms
- Aging, Alzheimer Disease, Animals, Brain, Central Nervous System, Complement Pathway, Classical, Gene Expression Regulation, Homeostasis, Humans, Macrophages, Transforming Growth Factor beta, Microglia, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Plaque, Amyloid
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