ミクログリアと脳発達

Microglia in Brain Development

ミクログリアの健常脳での働きが近年明らかになってきた。特に脳発達期では，神経細胞やその前駆細胞，軸索，シナプスの形成過程の多様な局面に能動的に関わるという。ミクログリアは周囲の細胞やその構造体の維持と除去を行い，正と負の2面性を保持しながら脳環境の安定化に働く。その機能や分子メカニズムを明らかにすることで，脳発達の過程，またその破綻による病態の理解が深まると期待される。

Abstract

Microglia, traditionally known as resident immune cells in the brain, have been recently identified as one of the important cell types engaging in the formation and maintenance of neural circuitry, especially during the development. In this review, I describe the diversity of microglial functions revealed in different phases of development, ranging from neurogenesis to circuit formation. In particular, microglia possess dual functions in supporting the survival of neuronal structures or neural cells themselves, and removing excess neural components. Understanding these processes and underlying molecular mechanisms will provide important insights into the regulation of neural circuitry development. It further implicates the involvement of microglial dysfunction in neurodevelopmental disorders.