Abstract
Microglia were discovered by Pio del Rio-Hortega in 1919, and its functional roles have been successfully clarified by recent development of various experimental techniques, such as microglial culture method and generation of microglia-specific anti-Iba1 antibody. Furthermore, real time imaging studies by using Iba1-EGFP transgenic mice contributed to find the new functions of ramified microglia observed in the normal brain such as modification of synaptic transmission. In pathological brain, however, activated microglia secret pro-inflammatory factors, migrate and phagocytose suggesting the cells are involved in the pathogenicity of various disorders in the central nervous systems. Moreover, it is recently noted that microglia are also involved in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders such as autism spectrum disorder. In this paper, we summarize microglial functions revealed so far and discuss the role of microglia in the higher brain functions.
