Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37652017›Full record

ArticleCell reports. Medicine2023

Human astrocytes and microglia show augmented ingestion of synapses in Alzheimer's disease via MFG-E8.

Makis Tzioras, Michael J D Daniels, Caitlin Davies, Paul Baxter, Declan King, Sean McKay, Balazs Varga, Karla Popovic, Madison Hernandez, Anna J Stevenson and 17 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cell reports. Medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 58 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
58citing papers in PubMed
9.6field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

58 citing papers in PubMed, 79 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Clusterin is enriched in plaque-associated astrocytes and localizes to synapses in Alzheimer's disease.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Perisynaptic Astrocytic Processes as Communication Hubs and Early Sites of Dysfunction.The Neuroscientist : a review journal bringing neurobiology, neurology and psychiatry · 2026
    Review
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Review
  14. Review
  15. Article
  16. Review
  17. Microglial phagocytosis in Alzheimer disease.Nature reviews. Neurology · 2026
    Review
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. The mCells · 2025
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

27 authors at 7 institutions in 2 countries.

Makis TziorasUK Dementia Research Institute, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK; Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK.
Michael J D DanielsUK Dementia Research Institute, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK; Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK.
Caitlin DaviesUK Dementia Research Institute, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK; Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK.
Paul BaxterUK Dementia Research Institute, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK; Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK.
Declan KingUK Dementia Research Institute, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK; Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK.
Sean McKayUK Dementia Research Institute, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK; Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK.
Balazs VargaWellcome - MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0AW, UK.
Karla PopovicUK Dementia Research Institute, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK; Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK.
Madison HernandezUK Dementia Research Institute, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK; Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK.
Anna J StevensonUK Dementia Research Institute, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK; Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK.
Jack BarringtonUK Dementia Research Institute, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK; Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK.
Elizabeth DrinkwaterUK Dementia Research Institute, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK; Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK.
Julia BorellaUK Dementia Research Institute, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK; Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK.
Rebecca K HollowayMRC Centre for Reproductive Health, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK.
Jane TullochUK Dementia Research Institute, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK; Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK.
Jonathan MossMRC Centre for Reproductive Health, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK; The Roslin Institute, the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH25 9RG, UK.
Clare LattaUK Dementia Research Institute, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK; Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK.
Jothy KandasamyDepartment of Clinical Neurosciences, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SA, UK.
Drahoslav SokolDepartment of Clinical Neurosciences, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SA, UK.
Colin SmithCentre for Clinical Brain Sciences, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK.
Veronique E MironUK Dementia Research Institute, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK; MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK; Barlo Multiple Sclerosis Centre at St. Michael's Hospital, Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, Toronto, ON M5B 1T8, Canada.
Ragnhildur Thóra KáradóttirWellcome - MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0AW, UK.
Giles E HardinghamUK Dementia Research Institute, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK; Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK.
Christopher M HenstridgeDivision of Systems Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 9SY, UK.
Paul M BrennanDepartment of Clinical Neurosciences, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SA, UK; Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK.
Barry W McCollUK Dementia Research Institute, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK; Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK. Electronic address: barry.mccoll@ed.ac.uk.
Tara L Spires-JonesUK Dementia Research Institute, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK; Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK. Electronic address: tara.spires-jones@ed.ac.uk.
UK Dementia Research Institute · GBUniversity of Edinburgh · GBEdinburgh Royal Infirmary · GBUniversity of Cambridge · GBMRC Centre for Reproductive Health · GBSt. Michael's Hospital · CAUniversity of Dundee · GB

Funding

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research CouncilMedical Research Council MC_PC_17230Medical Research Council MR/L003384/1Medical Research Council MR/V031260/1Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Synapse loss correlates with cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Data from mouse models suggests microglia are important for synapse degeneration, but direct human evidence for any glial involvement in synapse removal in human AD remains to be established. Here we observe astrocytes and microglia from human brains contain greater amounts of synaptic protein in AD compared with non-disease controls, and that proximity to amyloid-β plaques and the APOE4 risk gene exacerbate this effect. In culture, mouse and human astrocytes and primary mouse and human microglia phagocytose AD patient-derived synapses more than synapses from controls. Inhibiting interactions of MFG-E8 rescues the elevated engulfment of AD synapses by astrocytes and microglia without affecting control synapse uptake. Thus, AD promotes increased synapse ingestion by human glial cells at least in part via an MFG-E8 opsonophagocytic mechanism with potential for targeted therapeutic manipulation.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseaseMicrogliaAnimalsAntigens, SurfaceAstrocytesEatingHumansMiceMilk ProteinsSynapsesAntigens, SurfaceMFGE8 protein, humanMilk ProteinsAlzheimer’s diseaseastrocytesMFGE8microgliasynapse losssynapses

Identifiers

PMID37652017
PMCPMC10518633
OpenAlexW4386303585

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.