A novel role for microglia in minimizing excitotoxicity

Abstract

Microglia are the abundant, resident myeloid cells of the central nervous system (CNS) that become rapidly activated in response to injury or inflammation. While most studies of microglia focus on this phenomenon, little is known about the function of 'resting' microglia, which possess fine, branching cellular processes. Biber and colleagues, in a recent paper in Journal of Neuroinflammation, report that ramified microglia can limit excitotoxicity, an important insight for understanding mechanisms that limit neuron death in CNS disease.See research articlehttp://www.jneuroinflammation.com/content/9/1/27. © 2012 Howe and Barres; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.