Dissecting surveying behavior of reactive microglia under chronic neurodegeneration.

ABSTRACT: In the healthy brain, microglia maintain homeostasis by continuously surveying neuronal health through highly dynamic processes that form purinergic junctions with neuronal somas. These mechanisms are finely tuned for the rapid detection of acute injuries. However, during the transition to a chronically reactive state in neurodegenerative diseases, microglial ramification decreases even as the need for neuronal monitoring escalates. How reactive microglia adapt their surveillance strategies under these conditions remains poorly understood. Using time-lapse imaging of acute brain slices from prion-infected mice, we identified a previously unrecognized mode of neuronal surveillance employed by reactive microglia. Unlike homeostatic microglia, which exhibit low somatic mobility and high proce

SUBMITTER: Subhramanian S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12782555 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature