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Updated: May 22, 2026

Measurement of Total Calcium in Neurons by Electron Probe X-ray Microanalysis
11:42

Measurement of Total Calcium in Neurons by Electron Probe X-ray Microanalysis

Published on: November 20, 2013

Long-range Ca2+ waves transmit brain-damage signals to microglia

Dirk Sieger1, Christian Moritz, Thomas Ziegenhals

  • 1EMBL Heidelberg, Meyerhofstraße 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany.

Developmental Cell
|May 29, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Brain immune cells, microglia, migrate to injury sites via calcium (Ca2+) waves. Glutamate initiates these waves, guiding microglia to clear damaged neurons for tissue repair.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cell Biology
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Microglia, the brain's immune cells, clear injured neurons for tissue regeneration.
  • Understanding how death signals spatially and temporally guide microglia to injury sites is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the real-time mechanisms controlling microglial migration to neuronal injury sites.
  • To identify signaling molecules and pathways involved in microglial response to cell death.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the optically transparent zebrafish larval brain for real-time imaging.
  • Analyzed calcium (Ca2+) waves and their role in microglial responses.
  • Investigated the involvement of ATP and glutamate in the signaling cascade.

Main Results:

  • Identified rapidly propagating Ca2+ waves that dictate the extent of microglial response to neuronal death.
  • Demonstrated that Ca2+-mediated microglial responses depend on ATP, but Ca2+ wave propagation is ATP-independent.
  • Identified glutamate as a key inducer of Ca2+-transmitted microglial attraction.

Conclusions:

  • A novel mechanism for microglial-targeted migration to neuronal injuries has been revealed.
  • This process is initiated by glutamate and propagates as a Ca2+ wave across the brain.
  • This finding provides insights into brain repair and regeneration processes.

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