A role for microglia in synaptic plasticity?
A role for microglia in synaptic plasticity?
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DOI：
10.4161/cib.4.2.14506
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发表时间：
2011-03-01
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Majewska, Ania K
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Tremblay, Marie-Eve;Majewska, Ania K
大脑回路的重塑，包括突触结构的形成、修改和消除，在动物适应环境的过程中贯穿一生。直到最近，经验依赖突触可塑性的已知机制将神经元及其与星形胶质细胞的结构相互作用置于聚光灯下。然而，小胶质细胞是大脑的免疫细胞，即使在没有病理性损伤的情况下也非常活跃，其过程周期性地接触树突棘和轴突终末。这种有趣的行为促使我们利用电子显微镜和幼年小鼠初级视觉皮层的双光子体内成像来探索静止小胶质细胞在突触结构改变中的可能作用我们的工作揭示了小胶质细胞在视觉体验操作过程中的细微变化，包括突触周围细胞外空间的调节，与结构动态和瞬态树突棘亚群的接触，以及完整突触的吞噬吞噬。基于这些结果，我们进一步讨论了在正常经验依赖可塑性的背景下，小胶质细胞可能介导的突触修饰或消除的三种方式。
Remodeling of brain circuits, including the formation, modification and elimination of synaptic structures, occurs throughout life as animals adapt to their environment. Until very recently, known mechanisms for experience-dependent synaptic plasticity had placed neurons and their structural interactions with astrocytes in the spotlight. However microglia, the immune cells of the brain, are very active even in the absence of pathological insults and their processes periodically contact dendritic spines and axon terminals in vivo.1-3 This intriguing behavior prompted us to explore, using electron microscopy and two-photon in vivo imaging in the primary visual cortex of juvenile mice, a possible role for quiescent microglia in the modification of synaptic structures.4 Our work uncovered subtle changes in the behavior of microglia during manipulations of visual experience including regulation of perisynaptic extracellular spaces, contact with subsets of structurally dynamic and transient dendritic spines, and phagocytic engulfment of intact synapses. Based on these results, here we further discuss three means of synapse modification or elimination that could be mediated by microglia in the context of normal experience-dependent plasticity.