title: Microglia in action: how aging and injury can change the brain's guardians.
abstract: Neuroinflammation, the inflammatory response in the central nervous system (CNS), is a major determinant of neuronal function and survival during aging and disease progression. Microglia, as the resident tissue-macrophages of the brain, provide constant support to surrounding neurons in healthy brain. Upon any stress signal (such as trauma, ischemia, inflammation) they are one of the first cells to react. Local and/or peripheral signals determine microglia stress response, which can vary within a continuum of states from beneficial to detrimental for neuronal survival, and can be shaped by aging and previous insults. In this review, we discuss the roles of microglia upon an ischemic or traumatic injury, and give our perspective how aging may contribute to microglia behavior in the injured brain. We speculate that a deeper understanding of specific microglia identities will pave the way to develop more potent therapeutics to treat the diseases of aging brain.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Stroke Research, Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), University of Munich Medical School Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Athanasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lourbopoulos
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Acute Brain Injury, Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), University of Munich Medical School Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ertürk
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Stroke Research, Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), University of Munich Medical School Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Farida
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hellal
keywords: aging; inflammation; microglia; stroke; traumatic brain injury