As you learn this sentence, a military of cells patrols your mind. These troopers slip round neurons, utilizing their gangly appendages to seek for threats. If considered one of them detects a pathogen or harm, it springs into motion. Swelling up and descending in a voracious assault, it releases chemical compounds that sign for its comrades to hitch the combat.
Referred to as microglia, these specialised immune cells are our brains’ premier defenders. They shield us from invaders, clear away particles and keep connections between neurons to make sure the mind stays in peak situation.
But, regardless of their vigilance, microglia can generally have interaction in pleasant hearth, with a rising physique of proof suggesting they will be the engineers behind a number of the mind’s most intractable situations, reminiscent of Alzheimer’s illness and melancholy. If that’s the case, focusing on our wayward defenders – and even changing them with rejuvenated troops – could result in thrilling new therapies.
Microglia have been found in 1919 by neuroscientist Pío del Río Hortega. Whereas experimenting with novel methods of staining mind tissue, he stumbled throughout these new cells and named them after the traditional Greek phrases for “small” and “glue”.
This turned out to be an ill-fitting description. Apart from their splotchy look, microglia have few glue-like qualities. As a substitute, they’re a number of the most dynamic cells within the physique, roaming the mind with spindly, tentacle-like projections that broaden and retract in response to modifications of their atmosphere.
How microglia operate
Microglia are a type of macrophage, a kind of immune cell whose roles…
