ArticleBrain pathology (Zurich, Switzerland)2017
Microglia show altered morphology and reduced arborization in human brain during aging and Alzheimer's disease.
Article in Brain pathology (Zurich, Switzerland), 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 156 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
156 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 250 citations in OpenAlex.
- Neuroinflammatory markers sTREM2 and YKL-40 in association with Alzheimer's disease pathology: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Markers of microglia in post-mortem brain samples from patients with Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review.Molecular psychiatry · 2018Pooled it
- Spinal cord microglia exhibit a dysfunctional response to myelin damage.Journal of neuroimmunology · 2026Article
- Hippocampal AdipoR1 regulates the microglial response and delays disease progression in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Article
- Human amniotic mesenchymal stromal cell-derived extracellular vesicles reprogram microglia and prevent neurodegeneration in experimental models of Alzheimer's disease.Translational neurodegeneration · 2026Article
- Genetic Deletion of Adenosine AGlia · 2026Article
- Cross-species characterisation of microglial morphology and proliferation during ageing.GeroScience · 2026Article
- Review
- Review
- Hydrogen sulfide mitigates spatial learning deficits in angiotensin II-Induced hypertension via inhibition of endothelial NOX2 and neuroinflammation.Translational psychiatry · 2026Article
- Expression of GPR34 in microglia remains stable in human Alzheimer's disease.Acta neuropathologica · 2026Article
- Glial Cells in Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Simultaneous spatial transcriptomics and morphology profiling as tools to explore how microglia change with age.Nature aging · 2026Article
- Microglial Autofluorescence in the Brain and Retina is Dynamically Modulated by Systemic Inflammation.Cellular and molecular neurobiology · 2026Article
- TREM2 and microglial immunity in Alzheimer's disease: mechanisms, genetics, and therapeutic opportunities.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Proneurogenic and microglial modulatory properties of botulinum neurotoxin in the hippocampus of aging experimental mice.World journal of experimental medicine · 2025Article
- The Gut-Brain Axis in Alzheimer's Disease: Exploring Microbial Influences and Therapeutic Strategies.Molecular neurobiology · 2025Review
- Profilin 1 controls a microglial cytoskeleton checkpoint to prevent senescence and premature synaptic decline.Journal of neuroinflammation · 2025Article
- Cranial radiotherapy profoundly affects glia without inducing widespread cellular senescence.Neuro-oncology · 2025Article
96 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Changes in microglia function are involved in Alzheimer's disease (AD) for which ageing is the major risk factor. We evaluated microglial cell process morphologies and their gray matter coverage (arborized area) during ageing and in the presence and absence of AD pathology in autopsied human neocortex. Microglial cell processes were reduced in length, showed less branching and reduced arborized area with aging (case range 52-98 years). This occurred during normal ageing and without microglia dystrophy or changes in cell density. There was a larger reduction in process length and arborized area in AD compared to aged-matched control microglia. In AD cases, on average, 49%-64% of microglia had discontinuous and/or punctate Iba1 labeled processes instead of continuous Iba1 distribution. Up to 16% of aged-matched control microglia displayed discontinuous or punctate features. There was no change in the density of microglial cell bodies in gray matter during ageing or AD. This demonstrates that human microglia show progressive cell process retraction without cell loss during ageing. Additional changes in microglia occur with AD including Iba1 protein puncta and discontinuity. We suggest that reduced microglial arborized area may be an aging-related correlate of AD in humans. These variations in microglial cells during ageing and in AD could reflect changes in neural-glial interactions which are emerging as key to mechanisms involved in ageing and neurodegenerative disease.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.