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Updated: Jan 24, 2026
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A Versatile Murine Model of Subcortical White Matter Stroke for the Study of Axonal Degeneration and White Matter Neurobiology
Published on: March 17, 2016
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Activated Microglia in Cortical White Matter Across Cognitive Aging Trajectories
Tamar Gefen1,2, Garam Kim1, Kabriya Bolbolan1
1Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States.
Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience
|May 30, 2019
Summary
Cognitively normal older adults show higher brain inflammation than young adults and "SuperAgers." This suggests that reduced microglial activation in white matter may protect against cognitive decline in aging.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Immunology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Microglial activation is central to brain inflammation and neuronal loss in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.
- The specific role of activated microglia in white matter and its connection to cognitive aging remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate microglial densities in the white matter of cognitively normal young adults, older adults, and exceptional cognitive agers ('SuperAgers').
- To explore the relationship between white matter neuroinflammation and cognitive decline during aging.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of postmortem whole hemisphere sections from three age groups: young adults, older adults, and SuperAgers (over 80 with preserved cognition).
- Quantification of human leukocyte antigen-D related (HLA-DR)-positive activated microglia densities in white matter beneath five cortical regions.
- Correlation with available MRI FLAIR scans in two SuperAgers.
Main Results:
- A significant increase in microglia density was observed in cognitively normal older adults compared to young adults and SuperAgers.
- No significant difference in microglia density was found between SuperAgers and young adults.
- Two SuperAgers with white matter hyperintensities showed sparse microglia densities in corresponding postmortem sections.
Conclusions:
- Activated microglia respond to age-related white matter pathology.
- SuperAgers exhibit a notable sparing of this microglial activation phenomenon.
- Findings suggest a link between reduced white matter neuroinflammation and preserved cognitive integrity in aging.
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