title: Microglia: Phagocytosing to Clear, Sculpt, and Eliminate.
abstract: Microglia are the primary phagocytes of the central nervous system. They eliminate excess functional connections between neurons to sculpt neuronal circuits during development and throughout adulthood. Understanding how microglia recognize and prune synapses during development is providing insight into synapse loss and dysfunction in disease.
authors.affiliation: F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Soyon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA. Electronic address: beth.stevens@childrens.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Beth
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Stevens
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D017628:Microglia / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000502:physiology*; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology*