Physiological properties and functions of microglia.
- Author:
Ying LI
1
;
Xu-Fei DU
;
Jiu-Lin DU
Author Information
1. Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China. yingli820@gmail.com.
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- MeSH:
Animals;
Central Nervous System;
cytology;
Humans;
Microglia;
immunology;
physiology
- From:
Acta Physiologica Sinica
2013;65(5):471-482
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Microglia, the resident immune effective cells of the central nervous system, play crucial roles in mediating immune-related process. It becomes activated quickly in response to even minor pathological insults and participates in series of immune responses. Under physiological conditions, most microglia stay in a typical resting state, with ramified processes continuously extending and retracting from surrounding neural tissues, suggesting an important function of resting microglia. Recent studies indicate that resting microglia can regulate many physiological processes, including neural development, neural circuit formation, neuronal activity and plasticity, and animal grooming behavior. Here, we review the properties of resting microglia and further discuss how microglia participate in the above-mentioned functional regulation under physiological conditions.
