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 one in every of them detects a pathogen or harm, it springs into motion. Swelling up and descending in a voracious assault, it releases chemical substances that sign for its comrades to hitch the combat.
Often called microglia, these specialised immune cells are our brains’ premier defenders. They shield us from invaders, clear away particles and preserve 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 stands out as the engineers behind a few of the mind’s most intractable circumstances, similar to Alzheimer’s illness and despair. If that’s the case, concentrating on our wayward defenders – and even changing them with rejuvenated troops – could result in thrilling new therapies.
Microglia had 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. Aside from their splotchy look, microglia have few glue-like qualities. As an alternative, they’re a few 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 setting.
How microglia operate
Microglia are a type of macrophage, a kind of immune cell whose roles…
