“Dual microglia effects on blood brain barrier permeability induced by systemic inflammation” (2019), by Koichiro Haruwaka et al. Neuroscience research paper. Original abstract below, unchanged. A free PDF is available.

Dual microglia effects on blood brain barrier permeability induced by systemic inflammation

Koichiro Haruwaka, Ako Ikegami, Yoshihisa Tachibana et al. · December 20, 2019 · Neuroscience

Abstract

Microglia survey brain parenchyma, responding to injury and infections. Microglia also respond to systemic disease, but the role of blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity in this process remains unclear. Using simultaneous in vivo imaging, we demonstrated that systemic inflammation induces CCR5-dependent migration of brain resident microglia to the cerebral vasculature. Vessel-associated microglia initially maintain BBB integrity via expression of the tight-junction protein Claudin-5 and make physical contact with endothelial cells. During sustained inflammation, microglia phagocytose astrocytic end-feet and impair BBB function. Our results show microglia play a dual role in maintaining BBB integrity with implications for elucidating how systemic immune-activation impacts neural functions.

Free PDF DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13812-z