Aging and neurological diseases? No problem! science is here to help

Did you know that scientists at Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute (TBSI) have discovered a potential new target for therapies to treat age-related neurological diseases? It is exciting!

Microglia is a unique type of immune cell that is responsible for protecting the brain, defending against invading microbes, clearing debris, and eliminating dying nerve cells by engulfing and eating them. She’s like a brain superhero! But, as the brain ages, the substances stored in the microglia increase and this makes it unable to perform its essential garbage collection tasks in the brain, which can cause neurological problems and neurodegenerative diseases.

The scientists also found that autofluorescent microglia and associated inflammation were more pronounced in pathological conditions, such as in genetic risk factor models of Alzheimer’s disease. But, what is exciting is that they have been shown to be reversed by drug-assisted microglial replacement in elderly animals.

So this means that targeting microglia subpopulations could be a new strategy to treat aging and age-related diseases! We hope this research will help find new therapies and solutions for these neurological diseases in the future!