ReviewThe EMBO journal2019
Microglial subtypes: diversity within the microglial community.
Review in The EMBO journal, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 330 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
330 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 558 citations in OpenAlex.
- Multimodal microglial and kynurenine pathway alterations across the affective-psychosis spectrum: a systematic review of patterns, heterogeneity, and dimensional implications.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- The cytokines interleukin-6 and interferon-α induce distinct microglia phenotypes.Journal of neuroinflammation · 2022Pooled it
- Differential effects of acute, chronic, and social defeat stress on microglial morphology in the basolateral and central amygdala, and the medial and lateral habenula.Brain structure & function · 2026Article
- NLRP3 Regulation in Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy-Focus on Microglial Activation.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Microglia and neuroinflammation: An in-depth analysis from functional diversity to disease mechanisms.Clinical and translational medicine · 2026Review
- Hypothalamic neurovascular and extracellular matrix remodeling: Cellular niche orchestration of immune-metabolic adaptation to nutritional stress.Reviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders · 2026Review
- Adipose Tissue-Central Nervous System Axis in Obesity: Molecular Mechanisms, Inflammation, and Nutritional and Technological Implications.Metabolites · 2026Review
- Microglia in Alzheimer's Disease: From Homeostatic Guardians to Multifaceted Drivers of Neuropathology.Cells · 2026Review
- Microglia-mediated synaptic pruning in neural circuit remodeling: multidimensional control in homeostasis and neuropathology.BMC medicine · 2026Review
- Human IL-34 Deficiency Primes Microglia Toward Alzheimer's Disease-Associated States.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- 1-deoxysphinganine promoted microglial glycolytic reprogramming and neuroinflammation in alzheimer's disease.Translational psychiatry · 2026Article
- Neuregulin-1 facilitates myelin regeneration through microglia-mediated mechanisms in a mouse model of chronic demyelination.Nature communications · 2026Article
- AXIS of excitability: microglia promote neuronal firing.Cell research · 2026Article
- Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes Improve Neurological Dysfunction in a Rat Model of Moderate-to-Severe Cerebral Palsy.Stem cell reviews and reports · 2026Article
- Multiscale Approximations to Understand the Complex Role of Microglia in Alzheimer's Disease.The European journal of neuroscience · 2026Review
- Responsive nanoparticles modulating microglia lactate transport alleviate M1-type polarization and neuroinflammation for brain injury therapy.Journal of nanobiotechnology · 2026Article
- No-reflow phenomenon after vessel recanalization in acute ischemic stroke: mechanisms, diagnosis, and treatment directions.Journal of neurology · 2026Review
- Review
- Live cell imaging of exogenous α-synuclein fibrils in primary microglia and neuron co-cultures.Biochemistry and biophysics reports · 2026Article
- GPR40 Attenuates Age-Related Macular Degeneration by Suppressing Retinal Microglial NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation Via ERK Signaling.Inflammation · 2026Article
270 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 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Microglia are brain-resident macrophages forming the first active immune barrier in the central nervous system. They fulfill multiple functions across development and adulthood and under disease conditions. Current understanding revolves around microglia acquiring distinct phenotypes upon exposure to extrinsic cues in their environment. However, emerging evidence suggests that microglia display differences in their functions that are not exclusively driven by their milieu, rather by the unique properties these cells possess. This microglial intrinsic heterogeneity has been largely overlooked, favoring the prevailing view that microglia are a single-cell type endowed with spectacular plasticity, allowing them to acquire multiple phenotypes and thereby fulfill their numerous functions in health and disease. Here, we review the evidence that microglia might form a community of cells in which each member (or "subtype") displays intrinsic properties and performs unique functions. Distinctive features and functional implications of several microglial subtypes are considered, across contexts of health and disease. Finally, we suggest that microglial subtype categorization shall be based on function and we propose ways for studying them. Hence, we advocate that plasticity (reaction states) and diversity (subtypes) should both be considered when studying the multitasking microglia.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.