White blood cells protect the body from diseases, but cells called microglia are responsible for the immune function in the brain.It is considered to be an important cell for maintaining health in the brain, such as removing cells dead due to disorders such as stroke and monitoring the function of brain circuits.This time, a research group at the National Institute for Physiological Sciences and Yamanashi University used developing mice to allow microglia to contact nerve cells and promote the formation of synapses between nerve cells, creating a brain circuit in the cerebral cortex. It was clarified by a special microscope that it plays a role.
Cells other than nerve cells in the brain are called glial cells (glial cells), and microglia are one of them.It is said that it has an elongated protrusion and its tip is extended to come into contact with synapses to monitor and regulate its function, and its role has been attracting attention in recent years.However, when taken out of the brain, the state changed, and it was difficult to investigate the function of microglia in the original state existing in the brain.
This time, the research group used a special microscope (two-photon excitation microscope) that can observe cells in the brain of living animals to observe in detail the state of contact between microglia and nerve cells in developing mice.As a result, a protrusion structure called "filopodia", which is thought to be the source of synapses, was formed, and then growth to synapses was observed.In addition, the number and activation state of microglia influence synaptogenesis, and further, it was found that mice in the developmental stage as well as the mature stage were involved in the construction of the signal transduction function of the cerebral cortex by promoting synaptogenesis. ..
The elucidation of the involvement of microglia in the formation of neural circuits is expected to lead to new treatments and prevention targeting microglia in the future.
