International study was led by a Portuguese researcher. With advancing age, microglias change.
As microglias They are cells of the central nervous system. Are essential in defense brain immunologicalfighting infections and pathogens.
An international, led by the researcher at the University of Coimbra (UC) Vanessa Coelho-Santos, sought to realize how these cells behave throughout life, from birth and during aging.
The analysis was done with a state -of -the -art Microscopy of two photons, which allows high resolution images of the brain over time.
Main Conclusion: With the advance of age, microglias change and behave differently in the face of injuries to the brain.
This research can pave the way to therapeutic approaches adjusted to age and type of brain injury.
The team studied “the morphological and functional evolution of these cells, from birth to senior age.” The research team also sought to “characterize the response of microglias to two forms of localized injuries, at different ages throughout life, one aspect that has so far remained little explored”, shares the neuroscientist.
Age adult, Microglias are quite effective in injury response.
No period neonatal – The first 28 days of life – although more dynamic, have a late and exaggerated reaction to the injury.
No aging, Microglia lose complexity and respond to injuries slower.
“By realizing how microglia are distributed and act in the defense of the brain at different stages of life, we believe that we can create in the future more personalized therapies ”, Retarates Vanessa Coelho-Santos.
“In this study, in an animal model, we used a high precision laser to cause localized damage to brain tissue and, with the same power, simulate vascular lesions that temporarily block blood flow. This allowed to compare microgly responses to different types of lifelong injury, concluding that age has a marked impact on the morphology and dynamics of microglia in response to different types of lesions. Brain, ”explains Vanessa Coelho-Santos.
“This variability helps Explain vulnerabilities distinct throughout lifeas mechanisms associated with neurodes -development diseases, when there is inflammatory response in the early stages of life, as well as response deficits at advanced ages, ”adds the researcher.
