Elmore, MRP;
Hohsfield, LA;
Kramar, EA;
Soreq, L;
Lee, RJ;
Pham, ST;
Najafi, AR;
... Green, KN; + view all
(2018)
Replacement of microglia in the aged brain reverses cognitive, synaptic, and neuronal deficits in mice.
Aging Cell
, 17
(6)
, Article e12832. 10.1111/acel.12832.
Preview |
Text
acel.12832.pdf - Published Version Download (4MB) | Preview |
Abstract
Microglia, the resident immune cell of the brain, can be eliminated via pharmacological inhibition of the colony‐stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R). Withdrawal of CSF1R inhibition then stimulates microglial repopulation, effectively replacing the microglial compartment. In the aged brain, microglia take on a “primed” phenotype and studies indicate that this coincides with age‐related cognitive decline. Here, we investigated the effects of replacing the aged microglial compartment with new microglia using CSF1R inhibitor‐induced microglial repopulation. With 28 days of repopulation, replacement of resident microglia in aged mice (24 months) improved spatial memory and restored physical microglial tissue characteristics (cell densities and morphologies) to those found in young adult animals (4 months). However, inflammation‐related gene expression was not broadly altered with repopulation nor the response to immune challenges. Instead, microglial repopulation resulted in a reversal of age‐related changes in neuronal gene expression, including expression of genes associated with actin cytoskeleton remodeling and synaptogenesis. Age‐related changes in hippocampal neuronal complexity were reversed with both microglial elimination and repopulation, while microglial elimination increased both neurogenesis and dendritic spine densities. These changes were accompanied by a full rescue of age‐induced deficits in long‐term potentiation with microglial repopulation. Thus, several key aspects of the aged brain can be reversed by acute noninvasive replacement of microglia.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Replacement of microglia in the aged brain reverses cognitive, synaptic, and neuronal deficits in mice |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1111/acel.12832 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1111/acel.12832 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Keywords: | Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Cell Biology, Geriatrics & Gerontology, aging, colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor, long-term potentiation, microglia, plx5622, repopulation, CELL, PROTEIN |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology > Department of Neuromuscular Diseases |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10109982 |
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
