Microglia News and Research

RSS

Animal model of Gulf War illness hints at possible ways to mitigate symptoms

When hundreds of thousands of American troops deployed to the Persian Gulf in 1990 and 1991 in what is now called the First Gulf War, they were exposed to a variety of chemicals.

20 Jun 2017

Researchers discover single microglial protein that regulates AD risk genes

Genetic studies have turned up numerous genes linked to Alzheimer's disease, but in most cases, researchers have no idea how the genes raise or lower risk.

19 Jun 2017

Scientists uncover mechanism that directly links inflammation to mental illness

Up to 75 percent of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus -- an incurable autoimmune disease commonly known as lupus -- experience neuropsychiatric symptoms.

14 Jun 2017

Study examines how sex alters time-course of inflammation in the brain after TBI

Male mice have much greater brain distress in the week following a traumatic brain injury (TBI) than female mice, including skyrocketing inflammation and nerve cell death, say researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center.

13 Jun 2017

Study provides new insight into cells that rejuvenate the brain

Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease manifested by various neuronal pathological processes and a significant decline in brain function.

9 Jun 2017

Study underlines significance of microglia for homeostasis in the brain

The role of microglial cells in neurodegenerative disease is not fully understood. But new results from researchers in Munich and Basel suggest that stimulation of this arm of the immune system might well delay the onset of such disorders.

2 Jun 2017

Brain's immune cells may play roles in neurodegenerative, psychiatric illnesses

Scientists have, for the first time, characterized the molecular markers that make the brain's front lines of immune defense--cells called microglia--unique.

31 May 2017

Chronic sleep deprivation increases risk of neurological disorders

Recent research in mice indicates that destructive activity of cells in the brain is increased after sleep deprivation and may increase the risk of developing dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease.

26 May 2017

Study findings suggest how progranulin deficiency causes frontotemporal dementia

In a recent study in Human Molecular Genetics, researchers from VIB and KU Leuven led by prof. Philip Van Damme, reveal a novel function for progranulin in lysosomes: it acts as chaperone of the lysosomal protease cathepsin D. The results were obtained in collaboration with Prof. Paul Saftig from the University of Kiel.

8 May 2017

Neurobiologists use skin stem cells to generate new microglia

Using human skin cells, University of California, Irvine neurobiologists and their colleagues have created a method to generate one of the principle cell types of the brain called microglia, which play a key role in preserving the function of neural networks and responding to injury and disease.

25 Apr 2017

Neuroscience research has rapidly grown over the years, study finds

A study of the impact and research topics of neuroscience papers from 2006-2015 has shown that the number of papers and highly-productive core neuroscience journals has grown, while psychology and behavioral sciences have become more popular research areas.

20 Apr 2017

Cognitive decline following surgery triggered by brain's own immune cells, study suggests

After undergoing surgery, elderly patients often experience cloudy thinking that can last for weeks or even months. At one time researchers thought this cognitive decline might be caused by anesthesia, but mounting evidence suggests that heightened inflammation in the brain following surgery is the more likely cause.

6 Apr 2017

New research project unravels disease mechanisms of schizophrenia

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet collaborating in the large-scale Karolinska Schizophrenia Project are taking an integrative approach to unravel the disease mechanisms of schizophrenia.

14 Mar 2017

Study identifies therapeutic target for diabetic retinopathy

Specific cells in the retina trigger inflammation and vision impairment associated with diabetes, according to new research out of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

9 Mar 2017

Research findings provide new conceptual framework for understanding brain inflammation after injury

Researchers have identified a new mechanism by which inflammation can spread throughout the brain after injury. This mechanism may explain the widespread and long-lasting inflammation that occurs after traumatic brain injury, and may play a role in other neurodegenerative diseases.

8 Mar 2017

Sex differences in microglia activity affect pain treatment, study finds

A female brain's resident immune cells are more active in regions involved in pain processing relative to males, according to a recent study by Georgia State University researchers.

2 Mar 2017

BUSM researchers participate in five-year program to develop biomarkers for small vessel disease

To better predict, study and diagnose small vessel disease in the brain and its role in vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID), Boston University School of Medicine has been selected to participate in MarkVCID, a consortium designed to accelerate the development of new and existing biomarkers for small vessel VCID.

2 Mar 2017

Salk Institute researchers reveal how to curb immune enthusiasm

Normally when we think of viruses, from the common cold to HIV, we want to boost people's immunity to fight them.

20 Jan 2017

Researchers identify brain cell types from cell culture of adult human neurons

Studying brain disorders in people and developing drugs to treat them has been slowed by the inability to investigate single living cells from adult patients

18 Jan 2017

Could pathogen infection really lead to Alzheimer’s?

New concepts of infectious disease are evolving with the realization that pathogens are key players in the development of progressive chronic diseases that originally were not thought to be infectious. Infection is well-known to be associated with numerous neurological diseases for which...

12 Jan 2017