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Author Spotlight: In Vitro Co-Culture Model for Studying Microglia-Neuronal Interactions in Disease Conditions
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The dialog between neurons and microglia in Alzheimer's disease: The neurotransmitters view

Nofar Stolero1, Dan Frenkel1,2

  • 1Department of Neurobiology, School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics School, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.

Journal of Neurochemistry
|December 14, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Neurotransmitter signals between neurons and microglia are vital for brain health. Dysfunctional communication may drive microglial pathology in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Microglia are essential for maintaining brain homeostasis through environmental sensing.
  • Neuron-microglia communication, potentially mediated by neurotransmitter receptors, is critical for normal brain function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the effects of neurotransmitter agonists on microglial function.
  • To explore the role of neuron-microglia cross talk in Alzheimer's disease (AD).
  • To identify fundamental questions for future research in neuroinflammation and AD.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies investigating neurotransmitter effects on microglia.
  • Analysis of research linking microglial function to Alzheimer's disease pathology.

Main Results:

  • Existing literature demonstrates that various neurotransmitter agonists influence microglial cell functions.
  • Specific neurotransmitter pathways are implicated in microglial activity relevant to AD.

Conclusions:

  • Impaired neuron-microglia communication may contribute to pathological microglial activation in AD.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the precise mechanisms of neurotransmitter signaling in neurodegenerative diseases.
Keywords:
Alzheimer's diseaseMicrogliaanimal modelinflammationneuro-inflammationneurodegenerationneurotransmitter

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