title: Microglia--performers of the 21st century.
abstract: At the frontier between immunology and neuroscience, microglia, the enigmatic macrophages of the brain, have generated, in recent years, increasing interest. In response to even minor pathological changes in the brain, these extremely versatile glial cells occasionally enter in an over-activating state and produce pro-inflammatory cytokines and free radicals, thereby contributing directly to neuroinflammation and various brain disorders. This review provides an analysis of the latest developments in the microglia field, considering the important new research that illustrate their involvement in brain related diseases.
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Pathologic Anatomy, Department of Morphological Sciences, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; renata.vasiu@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Nidal
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Atallah
authors.forename: Renata
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vasiu
authors.forename: Adina Bianca
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Boşca
authors.forename: Denisa Ioana
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Creţu
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Georgiu
authors.forename: Anne Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Constantin
authors.forename: Alina Simona
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Sovrea
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002450:Cell Communication; D004194:Disease; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005333:Fetus / Q000166:cytology; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D017628:Microglia / Q000473:pathology*