title: Altered morphological dynamics of activated microglia after induction of status epilepticus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Microglia cells are the resident macrophages of the central nervous system and are considered its first line of defense. In the normal brain, their ramified processes are highly motile, constantly scanning the surrounding brain tissue and rapidly moving towards sites of acute injury or danger signals. These microglial dynamics are thought to be critical for brain homeostasis. Under pathological conditions, microglial cells undergo "activation," which modifies many of their molecular and morphological properties. Investigations of the effects of activation on motility are limited and have given mixed results. In particular, little is known about how microglial motility is altered in epilepsy, which is characterized by a strong inflammatory reaction and microglial activation.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used a mouse model of status epilepticus induced by kainate injections and time-lapse two-photon microscopy to image GFP-labeled microglia in acute hippocampal brain slices. We studied how microglial activation affected the motility of microglial processes, including basal motility, and their responses to local triggering stimuli.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our study reveals that microglial motility was largely preserved in kainate-treated animals, despite clear signs of microglial activation. In addition, whereas the velocities of microglial processes during basal scanning and towards a laser lesion were unaltered 48 h after status epilepticus, we observed an increase in the size of the territory scanned by single microglial processes during basal motility and an elevated directional velocity towards a pipette containing a purinergic agonist.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Microglial activation differentially impacted the dynamic scanning behavior of microglia in response to specific acute noxious stimuli, which may be an important feature of the adaptive behavior of microglia during pathophysiological conditions.
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Institute for Neurosciences, CNRS UMR 5297, 33077, Bordeaux, France. elena.avignone@u-bordeaux.fr.|Université de Bordeaux, CNRS UMR 5297, 33077, Bordeaux, France. elena.avignone@u-bordeaux.fr.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Avignone
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Institute for Neurosciences, CNRS UMR 5297, 33077, Bordeaux, France.|Université de Bordeaux, CNRS UMR 5297, 33077, Bordeaux, France.
authors.forename: Marilyn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lepleux
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Institute for Neurosciences, CNRS UMR 5297, 33077, Bordeaux, France.|Université de Bordeaux, CNRS UMR 5297, 33077, Bordeaux, France.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Angibaud
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Institute for Neurosciences, CNRS UMR 5297, 33077, Bordeaux, France. valentin.nagerl@u-bordeaux.fr.|Université de Bordeaux, CNRS UMR 5297, 33077, Bordeaux, France. valentin.nagerl@u-bordeaux.fr.
authors.forename: U Valentin
authors.initials: UV
authors.lastname: Nägerl
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000073883:CX3C Chemokine Receptor 1; D002465:Cell Movement; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007249:Inflammation / Q000473:pathology; D007608:Kainic Acid; D008262:Macrophage Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D017628:Microglia / Q000473:pathology*; D058912:Purinergic P2Y Receptor Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine / Q000235:genetics; D058925:Receptors, Purinergic P2Y12; D013226:Status Epilepticus / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D000073883:CX3C Chemokine Receptor 1; C471885:Cx3cr1 protein, mouse; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists; D058912:Purinergic P2Y Receptor Agonists; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine; D058925:Receptors, Purinergic P2Y12; D007608:Kainic Acid