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Updated: Jul 27, 2026

Culturing Microglia from the Neonatal and Adult Central Nervous System
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The Hallmarks of Ageing in Microglia

Laura Carr1, Sanam Mustafa1,2, Lyndsey E Collins-Praino3,4

  • 1School of Biomedicine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.

Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology
|May 19, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Ageing causes changes in central nervous system cells, particularly microglia. Understanding these age-related microglial changes is crucial for developing better models of neurodegenerative diseases.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Immunology
  • Gerontology

Background:

  • Ageing is a significant risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases (NDs).
  • Microglia, the immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS), are implicated in NDs.
  • Distinguishing age-related microglial changes from disease-specific alterations is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize the dynamic phenotypes of aged microglia.
  • To evaluate the current understanding of microglial ageing in the context of the twelve hallmarks of ageing.
  • To provide a foundation for developing more accurate models of neurodegenerative diseases.

Main Methods:

  • Review and synthesis of existing literature on microglial ageing.
  • Focus on the twelve hallmarks of ageing framework.
  • Analysis of functional and morphological changes in aged microglia.

Main Results:

  • Aged microglia are hypothesized to adopt a pro-inflammatory phenotype with dystrophic morphology.
  • Functional changes in aged microglia are not as well-characterized as in other cell types like macrophages.
  • The twelve hallmarks of ageing provide a framework for understanding microglial senescence.

Conclusions:

  • Characterizing age-related changes in microglia is critical for understanding their role in neurodegeneration.
  • Applying the twelve hallmarks of ageing to microglia offers a structured approach to studying their senescence.
  • Improved understanding of microglial ageing will facilitate the development of more relevant neurodegenerative disease models.
Keywords:
AgeingImmunosenescenceInflammageingMicrogliaMorphologyNeuroinflammation

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