1. 15:08 1st Jun 2012

    Notes: 11

    Tags: TechTechnologyScienceBrainsNeurons

    Immune Cells Destroy Unused Synapses, Even if Healthy a class of immune cell demolishes idle circuits and connections in the brain, even a healthy one… Until now, microglia have been dismissed as simple immune cells that do little more than protect brain cells from damage and tidy up in the aftermath of disease. “The idea they can clean up brain debris has been well established in studies of brain disease,” says Beth Stevens of Boston Children’s Hospital. “But now, even without damage, we’ve found them to respond to subtle changes in synaptic function.” (via Immune cells gobble up healthy but idle brain cells - health - 01 June 2012 - New Scientist)

    Immune Cells Destroy Unused Synapses, Even if Healthy

    a class of immune cell demolishes idle circuits and connections in the brain, even a healthy one…

    Until now, microglia have been dismissed as simple immune cells that do little more than protect brain cells from damage and tidy up in the aftermath of disease. “The idea they can clean up brain debris has been well established in studies of brain disease,” says Beth Stevens of Boston Children’s Hospital. “But now, even without damage, we’ve found them to respond to subtle changes in synaptic function.”

    (via Immune cells gobble up healthy but idle brain cells - health - 01 June 2012 - New Scientist)

     
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