Grooming and Growing with Microglia

Joseph Mathew Antony^*

The author is a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Medical Biophysics, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, 2075 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4N 3M5.

Abstract: Microglia mediate neuroprotection and neuropathogenesis but have not been directly associated with behavior. As gatekeepers of the brain’s immune system, microglia protect the brain from pathogens but also contribute to inflammation, which may negatively affect neurons. A recent study demonstrates a role for Hoxb8-expressing microglia in modulating behavior, a finding that is interesting from both the pathology and developmental biology perspectives.

* E-mail, joseph.antony{at}utoronto.ca

The editors suggest the following Related Resources on Science sites:

In Science Signaling

EDITORIAL GUIDES
Neuroscience
Focus Issue: Getting Excited About Glia

Elizabeth M. Adler (9 November 2010)
Sci. Signal. 3 (147), eg11. [DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.3147eg11]
 |  Abstract »  |  Full Text »  |  PDF »

PODCASTS
Neuroscience
Science Signaling Podcast: 9 November 2010

R. Douglas Fields and Annalisa M. VanHook (9 November 2010)
Sci. Signal. 3 (147), pc20. [DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.3147pc20]
 |  Abstract »  |  Full Text »  |  Podcast »

EDITORS' CHOICE
Neuroscience
Microglial Messages Modulate Neurogenesis

Elizabeth M. Adler (2 September 2008)
Sci. Signal. 1 (35), ec307. [DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.135ec307]
 |  Abstract »

In Science Magazine

PERSPECTIVE
Changing Face of Microglia

Manuel B. Graeber (5 November 2010)
Science 330 (6005), 783. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1190929]
 |  Abstract »  |  Full Text »  |  PDF »

REPORTS
Fate Mapping Analysis Reveals That Adult Microglia Derive from Primitive Macrophages

Florent Ginhoux, Melanie Greter, Marylene Leboeuf, Sayan Nandi, Peter See, Solen Gokhan, Mark F. Mehler, Simon J. Conway, Lai Guan Ng, E. Richard Stanley, Igor M. Samokhvalov, and Miriam Merad (5 November 2010)
Science 330 (6005), 841. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1194637]
 |  Abstract »  |  Full Text »  |  PDF »  |  Supporting Online Material »

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES: