Year: 2014
Type: dissertation
Abstract: It has been recently reported that microglia, the immune cells of the central nervous systems (CNS), actively interact with synapses in their resting state.Resting microglia selectively and physically contact synapses in the intact brain, and are also involved in synapse elimination in immature brain and in the penumbra region where the cortical area adjacent to ischemic core.This synapse elimination contributes to neural circuit reorganization during development, and likely also to circuit recovery from injury.However, although activated microglia can release several molecules related to synapse formation (e.g.thrombospondins (TSPs), neurotrophins), whether microglia can also actively contribute to synapse formation is not known.Therefore in this study, I focused on 1) whether microglia are involved in synapse formation in the intact mice neocortex during the developmental period of rapid increase in excitatory synapses (postnatal day (P) 8-10), and 2) the possible mechanisms of any such effect observed.To elucidate whether microglia played any role in synaptogenesis in the developing neocortex, I needed to separately visualize and measure both microglia and neurons.I used Iba1-EGFP mice, in which enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) is selectively expressed in microglia in the CNS.To visualize layer (L) 2/3 pyramidal neurons, I
Author: Akiko Miyamoto
Language: English
Subfield: Neurology
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3036781145