Macrophages on the margin: choroid plexus immune responses

Abstract

The choroid plexus (ChP), an epithelial bilayer containing a network of mesenchymal, immune, and neuronal cells, forms the blood-cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) barrier (BCSFB). While best recognized for secreting CSF, the ChP is also a hotbed of immune cell activity and can provide circulating peripheral immune cells with passage into the central nervous system (CNS). Here, we review recent studies on ChP immune cells, with a focus on the ontogeny, development, and behaviors of ChP macrophages, the principal resident immune cells of the ChP. We highlight the implications of immune cells for ChP barrier function, CSF cytokines and volume regulation, and their contribution to neurodevelopmental disorders, with possible age-specific features to be elucidated in the future.

Keywords: blood–cerebrospinal fluid barrier; border-associated macrophages; choroid plexus; neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders; neuroimmune functions.