Classifying brain microglia: Which are good and which are bad?


Microglia are important to brain function, and also seem to play a role in disease. New work offers the most comprehensive accounting of brain microglia to date and opens a new chapter in brain exploration. The researchers performed RNA sequencing of 76,000 individual cells – the most comprehensive accounting to date – and spatially mapped them. Their findings could help scientists tell whether microglia are contributing to disease or trying to repair the brain, informing treatment strategies.