microglial activation

Tapeworm larvae in the brain: cellular mechanisms of epilepsy in neurocysticercosis

Cerebral infection by the larvae of the cestode, Taenia solium (neurocysticercosis), is thought to be the leading cause of adult-acquired epilepsy worldwide. Despite this, little is known about the cellular mechanisms that underlie seizure development in this condition. In this talk I will present our recent data exploring multiple interactions between cestode larvae, neuroinflammatory processes and network excitability. We find that viable cestode larvae are able to strongly suppress microglial activation and inflammatory cytokine release with consequences for the modulation host neuroinflammatory responses and seizure development in vivo. At the same time, larvae produce and release glutamate, with acute excitatory effects on neuronal circuits. We hope that an improved understanding of epileptogenic mechanisms in neurocysticercosis will one day improve the management of this condition as well as other inflammatory causes of epilepsy.

Innate immune response in brain pathologies: Lost in translation?

Inflammation is a key component of the innate immune response. Primarily designed to remove noxious agents and limit their detrimental effects, the prolonged and/or inappropriately scaled innate immune response may be detrimental to the host and lead to a chronic disease. Indeed, there is increasing evidence suggesting that a chronic deregulation of immunity may represent one of the key elements in the pathobiology of many brain disorders. Microglia are the principal immune cells of the brain. The consensus today is that once activated microglia/macrophages can acquire a wide repertoire of profiles ranging from the classical pro-inflammatory to alternative and protective phenotypes. Recently, we described a novel ribosome-based regulatory mechanism/checkpoint that controls innate immune gene translation and microglial activation involving RNA binding protein SRSF3. Here we will discuss the implications of SRSF3 and other endogenous immune regulators in deregulation of immunity observed in different models of brain pathologies. Furthermore, we will discuss whether targeting SRSF3 and mRNA translation may open novel avenues for therapeutic modulation of immune response in the brain.

Microglia, memories, and the extracellular space

Microglia are the immune cells of the brain, and play increasingly appreciated roles in synapse formation, brain plasticity, and cognition. A growing appreciation that the immune system involved in diseases like schizophrenia, epilepsy, and neurodegenerative diseases has led to renewed interest in how microglia regulate synaptic connectivity. Our group previously identified the IL-1 family cytokine Interleukin-33 (IL-33) as a novel regulator of microglial activation and function. I will discuss a mechanism by which microglia regulate synaptic plasticity and long-term memories by engulfing brain extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. These studies raise the question of how these pathways may be altered or could be modified in the context of disease.

JUVENILE GUT DYSBIOSIS INDUCES MICROGLIAL ACTIVATION, SELECTIVE POSTSYNAPTIC PRUNING, REGION-SPECIFIC METABOLIC SHIFTS, AND ANXIETY-LIKE BEHAVIOURS IN MICE

FENS Forum 2026

SEX-DEPENDENT MICROGLIAL ACTIVATION DURING SHORT-TERM HIGH-FAT DIET: THE ROLE OF JNK3

FENS Forum 2026

COMPARATIVE PROTEIN KINASE C MODULATION BY PROSTRATIN AND BRYOSTATIN-1 ON MICROGLIAL ACTIVATION AND NEURITE OUTGROWTH IN <EM>IN VITRO</EM> MODELS OF SPINAL CORD INJURY

FENS Forum 2026

THE TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR PAX6 REGULATES MICROGLIAL ACTIVATION AND RESTRAINS NEUROINFLAMMATION

FENS Forum 2026

MICROGLIAL ACTIVATION DRIVES TAU PATHOLOGY PROGRESSION IN ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

FENS Forum 2026

AMYLOID-Β OLIGOMER BINDING TRIGGERS TAU HYPERPHOSPHORYLATION AND MICROGLIAL ACTIVATION IN ADULT HUMAN BRAIN SLICE

FENS Forum 2026

Molecular logic of microglial activation in Alzheimer’s disease

Nimodipine reduces LPS-induced microglial activation in primary mixed and isolated microglia cell culture

Obesity-driven microglial activation – functional role of cerebral sterol metabolism

Aberrant microglial activation in mice lacking the dsRNA editing enzyme ADAR1 is rescued by removing the gene encoding PKR

FENS Forum 2024

Cerebral malaria leads to persistent microglial activation, long-term behavioural changes and electrographic seizures in mice

FENS Forum 2024

Combined restraint stress and metal exposure paradigms in rats; cognitive assessment, brain oxidative stress, caspase-3 mediated responses, microglial activation, and myelin health

FENS Forum 2024

Microglial activation in the anterior cingulate cortex: A biological marker of early adverse events and future vulnerability to develop alcohol use disorder

FENS Forum 2024

Selective estrogen receptor agonists confer minimal protection from global cerebral ischemia but show impacts on anxiety-like behaviors and microglial activation

FENS Forum 2024

Amyloid clearance by oligodendrocyte-mediated microglial activation

Characterisation of a novel NOX2 inhibitor, GSK2795039, using in vitro models of microglial activation

Development of novel rabbit monoclonal antibodies to characterize microglial activation states in murine models of Alzheimer’s disease

Sex-dependent differences of short-term aerobic endurance exercise on systemic LPS-induced inflammation and microglial activation in young C57BL/6J mice

FENS Forum 2024