“Over a decade ago, it was discovered that microglia, the brain’s immune cells, engulf synaptic material in a process named microglial pruning.”
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“This term suggests that microglia actively sculpt brain circuits by tagging and phagocytosing unwanted synapses.”
“….live imaging studies have yet to demonstrate how microglial synapse elimination occurs. To address this issue, we propose a new conceptual framework distinguishing between two potential mechanisms of synapse elimination, culling and scavenging.”
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“During culling, microglia may use a contractile ring to sever the neuronal plasma membrane, removing the unwanted synapse. During scavenging, synapse elimination is neuronal-driven, and the neuronal plasma membrane fission machinery sheds off synapses that are later phagocytosed by microglia.”
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M.Pereira-Iglesias, et al
Microglia as hunters or gatherers of brain synapses
Nature Neuroscience — Volume 28 #1 — January 2025