Biomaterial Database

Role of microglia in age-related changes to the nervous system. 2009

David R Brown

Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, UK. bssdrb@bath.ac.uk

Microglia play a curious role in the nervous system. Their role is intrinsically protective and supportive, but during neurodegenerative disease, it is well established that microglia play a significant role in the initiation of neuronal death. Microglia, like neurons, show age-related changes that could potentially alter their behavior. While extreme changes to a large population of microglia cause dramatic neuronal loss in neurodegeneration, during normal aging, subtle changes not unlike those seen in the disease state could potentially contribute to a more gradual neuronal loss that could contribute to the cognitive decline seen in the aging population. This review provides illustrations of what is known about the role of microglia in neurodegeneration and makes suggestions about the role of microglia in age-related changes to the brain.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D009410	Nerve Degeneration	Loss of functional activity and trophic degeneration of nerve axons and their terminal arborizations following the destruction of their cells of origin or interruption of their continuity with these cells. The pathology is characteristic of neurodegenerative diseases. Often the process of nerve degeneration is studied in research on neuroanatomical localization and correlation of the neurophysiology of neural pathways.	Neuron Degeneration,Degeneration, Nerve,Degeneration, Neuron,Degenerations, Nerve,Degenerations, Neuron,Nerve Degenerations,Neuron Degenerations
D009420	Nervous System	The entire nerve apparatus, composed of a central part, the brain and spinal cord, and a peripheral part, the cranial and spinal nerves, autonomic ganglia, and plexuses. (Stedman, 26th ed)	Nervous Systems,System, Nervous,Systems, Nervous
D003072	Cognition Disorders	Disorders characterized by disturbances in mental processes related to learning, thinking, reasoning, and judgment.	Overinclusion,Disorder, Cognition,Disorders, Cognition
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000375	Aging	The gradual irreversible changes in structure and function of an organism that occur as a result of the passage of time.	Senescence,Aging, Biological,Biological Aging
D000544	Alzheimer Disease	A degenerative disease of the BRAIN characterized by the insidious onset of DEMENTIA. Impairment of MEMORY, judgment, attention span, and problem solving skills are followed by severe APRAXIAS and a global loss of cognitive abilities. The condition primarily occurs after age 60, and is marked pathologically by severe cortical atrophy and the triad of SENILE PLAQUES; NEUROFIBRILLARY TANGLES; and NEUROPIL THREADS. (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, pp1049-57)	Acute Confusional Senile Dementia,Alzheimer's Diseases,Dementia, Alzheimer Type,Dementia, Senile,Presenile Alzheimer Dementia,Senile Dementia, Alzheimer Type,Alzheimer Dementia,Alzheimer Disease, Early Onset,Alzheimer Disease, Late Onset,Alzheimer Sclerosis,Alzheimer Syndrome,Alzheimer Type Senile Dementia,Alzheimer's Disease,Alzheimer's Disease, Focal Onset,Alzheimer-Type Dementia (ATD),Dementia, Presenile,Dementia, Primary Senile Degenerative,Early Onset Alzheimer Disease,Familial Alzheimer Disease (FAD),Focal Onset Alzheimer's Disease,Late Onset Alzheimer Disease,Primary Senile Degenerative Dementia,Senile Dementia, Acute Confusional,Alzheimer Dementias,Alzheimer Disease, Familial (FAD),Alzheimer Diseases,Alzheimer Type Dementia,Alzheimer Type Dementia (ATD),Alzheimers Diseases,Dementia, Alzheimer,Dementia, Alzheimer-Type (ATD),Familial Alzheimer Diseases (FAD),Presenile Dementia,Sclerosis, Alzheimer,Senile Dementia
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D017096	Prion Diseases	A group of genetic, infectious, or sporadic degenerative human and animal nervous system disorders associated with abnormal PRIONS. These diseases are characterized by conversion of the normal prion protein to an abnormal configuration via a post-translational process. In humans, these conditions generally feature DEMENTIA; ATAXIA; and a fatal outcome. Pathologic features include a spongiform encephalopathy without evidence of inflammation. The older literature occasionally refers to these as unconventional SLOW VIRUS DISEASES. (From Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1998 Nov 10;95(23):13363-83)	Dementias, Transmissible,Spongiform Encephalopathies, Transmissible,Transmissible Dementias,Encephalopathies, Spongiform, Transmissible,Human Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies, Inherited,Inherited Human Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies,Prion Disease,Prion Protein Diseases,Prion-Associated Disorders,Prion-Induced Disorder,Prion-Induced Disorders,Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies,Dementia, Transmissible,Disorder, Prion-Induced,Disorders, Prion-Induced,Encephalopathies, Transmissible Spongiform,Encephalopathy, Transmissible Spongiform,Prion Induced Disorder,Prion Protein Disease,Spongiform Encephalopathy, Transmissible,Transmissible Dementia,Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy
D017628	Microglia	The third type of glial cell, along with astrocytes and oligodendrocytes (which together form the macroglia). Microglia vary in appearance depending on developmental stage, functional state, and anatomical location; subtype terms include ramified, perivascular, ameboid, resting, and activated. Microglia clearly are capable of phagocytosis and play an important role in a wide spectrum of neuropathologies. They have also been suggested to act in several other roles including in secretion (e.g., of cytokines and neural growth factors), in immunological processing (e.g., antigen presentation), and in central nervous system development and remodeling.	Microglial Cell,Cell, Microglial,Microglial Cells,Microglias
D018620	PrPSc Proteins	Abnormal isoform of PRION PROTEINS resulting from a posttranslational modification of the cellular prion protein (PRPC PROTEINS). PrPSc are disease-specific proteins seen in certain human and animal neurodegenerative diseases (PRION DISEASES).	Scrapie Agent,Scrapie PrP,HaSp 33-37,PrP (CJD),PrP (GSS),PrP 33-35,PrP-res,Scrapie HaSp33-37 Protein,Scrapie PrP 33-35,Scrapie Virus,Sp 33-35,PrP res