Microglia Under the Spotlight: Activity and Complement-Dependent Engulfment of Synapses

Morgane S Thion; Sonia Garel

doi:10.1016/j.tins.2018.03.017

Microglia Under the Spotlight: Activity and Complement-Dependent Engulfment of Synapses

Trends Neurosci. 2018 Jun;41(6):332-334. doi: 10.1016/j.tins.2018.03.017.

Authors

Morgane S Thion¹, Sonia Garel²

Affiliations

¹ Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure, Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Université Paris, 75005 Paris, France. Electronic address: thion@biologie.ens.fr.
² Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure, Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Université Paris, 75005 Paris, France. Electronic address: garel@biologie.ens.fr.

PMID: 29801526
DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2018.03.017

Abstract

In 2012, Schaefer et al. revealed that microglia regulate the emergence of functional connectivity by engulfing and selectively eliminating synapses in the retinogeniculate system. This synaptic pruning mechanism, which is activity dependent and relies on the complement cascade, has helped define microglia as a central contributor to normal wiring and to brain disorders.

Keywords: activity; complement receptor 3; engulfment; microglia; postnatal; synapses.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Complement System Proteins / metabolism*
Humans
Microglia / cytology
Microglia / physiology*
Neuronal Plasticity / physiology*
Synapses / physiology*

Substances

Complement System Proteins