Cited by 166Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration MechanismsNeuroscience and Neuropharmacology ResearchBarrier Structure and Function Studies

Microglia and Astrocyte Function and Communication: What Do We Know in Humans?

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Garland, Emma F., Hartnell, Iain J., Boche, Delphine·2022·Frontiers in Neuroscience

Abstract

Microglia and astrocytes play essential roles in the central nervous system contributing to many functions including homeostasis, immune response, blood–brain barrier maintenance and synaptic support. Evidence has emerged from experimental models of glial communication that microglia and astrocytes influence and coordinate each other and their effects on the brain environment. However, due to the difference in glial cells between humans and rodents, it is essential to confirm the relevance of these findings in human brains. Here, we aim to review the current knowledge on microglia-astrocyte crosstalk in humans, exploring novel methodological techniques used in health and disease conditions. This will include an in-depth look at cell culture and iPSCs, post-mortem studies, imaging and fluid biomarkers, genetics and transcriptomic data. In this review, we will discuss the advantages and limitations of these methods, highlighting the understanding these methods have brought the field on these cells communicative abilities, and the knowledge gaps that remain.

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Crossref · 10.3389/fnins.2022.824888

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  • Astrocyte and microglia iPSC models partially recapitulate the transcriptomes of their in vivo counterparts and may capture authentic neurodegenerative disease phenotypes.

    “Astrocyte and microglia iPSC models partially recapitulate the transcriptomes of their in vivo counterparts and may capture authentic neurodegenerative disease phenotypes [345,406,480,481,482,483,484].”

    From Revisiting the Pathogenesis of X-Linked Adrenoleukodystrophy (2025) · cites this paper as [345]

    The Microglial and Astrocytic Cell Culture Models sections report that iPSC-derived cells express characteristic markers and show Alzheimer’s-related changes, supporting the possibility that these models capture disease phenotypes. The copy does not establish that both models partially recapitulate the transcriptomes of their in vivo counterparts; the Introduction’s Table 1 instead cautions that iPSC-derived cells may differ from glia in vivo. Page numbers were not provided for these passages. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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Authors
Garland, E. F., Hartnell, I. J., & Boche, D.
Affiliations
University of Southampton (GB)
Corresponding author
Boche, Delphine
Venue
Frontiers in Neuroscience
Published
2022-02-16
Volume
16
Pages
824888-824888
ISSN
1662-453X (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4212929528
Cited by
165
References
190
Citations by year
2026: 39 · 2025: 40 · 2024: 50 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 8
FWCI
3.27
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Frontiers in Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • White Rose Research Online (University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, University of York) (acceptedVersion)
  • ePrints Soton (University of Southampton) (acceptedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
Alzheimer’s Research UK
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Barrier Structure and Function Studies
Keywords
microglia, astrocytes, human brain, blood-brain barrier, neuroinflammation, induced pluripotent stem cells, cell culture model, fluid biomarkers, transcriptomics, neurodegenerative diseases

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