How some brain cells hook up surprises researchers
Immune cells known as microglia, long thought to be activated in the brain only when fighting infection or injury, are constantly active and likely play a central role in one of the most basic, central phenomena in the brain - the creation and elimination of synapses. The findings, publishing next week in the online, open access journal PLoS Biology, catapult the humble microglia cell from its well-recognised duty of protecting the brain to direct involvement in creating the cellular networks at the core of brain behaviour. Its apparent role as an architect of synapses - junctions between brain cells called neurones - comes as a surprise to researchers long accustomed to thinking of microglia as cells focused exclusively on keeping the brain safe from threats...