Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39820004›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

The Human Microglia Atlas (HuMicA) unravels changes in disease-associated microglia subsets across neurodegenerative conditions.

Ricardo Martins-Ferreira, Josep Calafell-Segura, Bárbara Leal, Javier Rodríguez-Ubreva, Elena Martínez-Saez, Elisabetta Mereu, Paulo Pinho E Costa, Ariadna Laguna, Esteban Ballestar

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 90 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
90citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

90 citing papers in PubMed.

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  18. Single-cell analysis of microglia and monocyte dynamics uncovers distinct TNF-driven neuroimmune signatures in humans after intracerebral hemorrhage.Journal of cerebral blood flow and metabolism : official journal of the International Society of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism · 2026
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  20. Review

30 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

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

9 authors.

Ricardo Martins-FerreiraEpigenetics and Immune Disease Group, Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), 08916 Badalona, Barcelona, Spain.
Josep Calafell-SeguraEpigenetics and Immune Disease Group, Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), 08916 Badalona, Barcelona, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0173-8221
Bárbara LealImmunogenetics Laboratory, Molecular Pathology and Immunology Department, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto (ICBAS-UPorto), 4050-313, Porto, Portugal.
Javier Rodríguez-UbrevaEpigenetics and Immune Disease Group, Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), 08916 Badalona, Barcelona, Spain.
Elena Martínez-SaezPathology Department, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Elisabetta MereuCellular Systems Genomics Group, Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), 08916 Badalona, Barcelona, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6101-8472
Paulo Pinho E CostaImmunogenetics Laboratory, Molecular Pathology and Immunology Department, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto (ICBAS-UPorto), 4050-313, Porto, Portugal.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6125-7000
Ariadna LagunaNeurodegenerative Diseases Research Group, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR)-Network Center for Biomedical Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Barcelona, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9732-6677
Esteban BallestarEpigenetics and Immune Disease Group, Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), 08916 Badalona, Barcelona, Spain. eballestar@carrerasresearch.org.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1400-2440

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Dysregulated microglia activation, leading to neuroinflammation, is crucial in neurodegenerative disease development and progression. We constructed an atlas of human brain immune cells by integrating nineteen single-nucleus RNA-seq and single-cell RNA-seq datasets from multiple neurodegenerative conditions, comprising 241 samples from patients with Alzheimer's disease, autism spectrum disorder, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Lewy body diseases, COVID-19, and healthy controls. The integrated Human Microglia Atlas (HuMicA) included 90,716 nuclei/cells and revealed nine populations distributed across all conditions. We identified four subtypes of disease-associated microglia and disease-inflammatory macrophages, recently described in mice, and shown here to be prevalent in human tissue. The high versatility of microglia is evident through changes in subset distribution across various pathologies, suggesting their contribution in shaping pathological phenotypes. A GPNMB-high subpopulation was expanded in AD and MS. In situ hybridization corroborated this increase in AD, opening the question on the relevance of this population in other pathologies.

Indexed as

BrainMicrogliaNeurodegenerative DiseasesAgedAlzheimer DiseaseAnimalsAtlases as TopicAutism Spectrum DisorderCOVID-19FemaleHumansLewy Body DiseaseMacrophagesMaleMultiple SclerosisRNA-Seq

Identifiers

PMID39820004
PMCPMC11739505

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.