Microglial roles in Alzheimer's disease: An agent-based model to elucidate microglial spatiotemporal response to beta-amyloid.

ABSTRACT: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by beta-amyloid (Aβ) plaques in the brain and widespread neuronal damage. Because of the high drug attrition rates in AD, there is increased interest in characterizing neuroimmune responses to Aβ plaques. In response to AD pathology, microglia are innate phagocytotic immune cells that transition into a neuroprotective state and form barriers around plaques. We seek to understand the role of microglia in modifying Aβ dynamics and barrier formation. To quantify the influence of individual microglia behaviors (activation, chemotaxis, phagocytosis, and proliferation) on plaque size and barrier coverage, we developed an agent-based model to characterize the spatiotemporal interactions between microglia and Aβ. Our model qualitatively reproduces mouse da

SUBMITTER: Weathered C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10941569 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature