Download Psychology Department Colloquium

PsychologyDepartmentColloquium
Microglialcolonizationofthedevelopingbrain:
implicationsforlong‐termneuralfunctionandbehavior
StaciBilbo
DukeUniversity
Abstract
Thestudyofneural‐glialinteractionswithinthebrainisinitsinfancy.However,thereis
mountingevidencethatmicrogliaandastrocytes,theprimaryimmunocompetentcellsof
theCNS,areinvolvedineverymajoraspectofbraindevelopmentandfunction,including
neurogenesisandmigration,synapticformationandpruning,andphagocytosisof
apoptoticdebris.Manycytokinesandchemokines(e.g.,interleukin[IL]‐1βandCCL2,
respectively)areproducedbygliaatmuchhigherbaselinelevelsinthedevelopingbrain
comparedtotheadultbrain,althoughthistimecoursedependshighlyonbrainregionand
sex.Thesecollectivedatahaveledustohypothesizethatearlydevelopmentrepresentsa
sensitiveperiodforimmuneperturbationandthuslong‐termalterationsinneural
function,becausetheimmunesystemissoactivewithinthebrainatthistime.Indeed,
evidencefrombothanimalandhumanstudiesimplicatestheimmunesysteminanumber
ofdisorderswithknownorsuspecteddevelopmentalorigins.Thistalkwillfocusonthe
evidencethatdiversechallenges(infection,drugsofabuse)duringdistinctstagesof
developmentactasavulnerabilityfactorforlater‐lifealterationsincentralimmune
signaling,andmarkedchangesinbehaviorthroughouttheremainderofthelifespan,witha
focusonthehypothesisthatlong‐termchangesinmicroglialcellfunctionmayunderlie
suchvulnerability.
October16,20144pm
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