vesselsTheir task is to scour the blood arteries of the brain for invasive infections to devour. What transpires, though, if they turn bad?
They have traditionally been disregarded and viewed as the immune system’s menial foot soldiers. However, a growing body of research suggests that microglia may play a more directing role in the regulation of pain and addiction. Some even think they might be crucial in treating illnesses like chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), depression, anxiety, Alzheimer’s disease, and myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).
However, what are microglia precisely?
The brain is composed of two types of cells. Nerve cells, or neurons, are the brain’s messengers; they send electrical impulses throughout the body to convey information.
The remaining kind is made up of glia. About 10% of all brain cells are microglia, the smallest member of the glia family. The tiny cells have an oval-shaped “body” in the center from which thin arms resembling tendrils protrude.
According to Paolo d’Errico, a neuroscientist at the University of Freiburg in Germany, “they have a lot of branches that they are constantly moving around to survey their environment.” “In normal conditions they extend and retract these processes in order to sense what is happening around them.”
Microglia are crucial for normal brain function when they are functioning properly. They regulate the development of our brains in our early years by severing superfluous synaptic connections between neurons. They modify which cells develop into neurons and preserve and repair myelin.
