WW, You just reminded me that on the news about a week ago they...

WW,

You just reminded me that on the news about a week ago they were discussing Schizophrenia and microglia.   It was the first time I recall hearing of the link.  

From the web -

Although the causes of schizophrenia are unknown, inflammatory processes have already been implicated in it. Patients with schizophrenia, and those deemed to be at high risk of developing the disorder, exhibit elevated levels of small, pro-inflammatory proteins called cytokines, and this is associated with reduced gray matter volume; and post-mortem examinations of brain tissue show that activated microglial cells are present in higher numbers in people with schizophrenia compared to others, particularly in the frontal and temporal lobes.

Microglia are the brain’s resident immune cells, which form its first line of defence against infection and injury. In any such event, damaged neurons emit a distress signal, which activates microglial cells and attracts them to the damaged or infected site, where they proceed to engulf and neutralize pathogens, cellular debris, and anything else that is potentially harmful or no longer needed. This occurs by a process called phagocytosis, whereby a segment of the microglial cell membrane first envelops the undesired material, then pulls it inwards and internalizes it completely.


Further down in the article -

This confirms earlier findings that microglial activation is elevated in the brains of patients with schizophrenia, and provides what the researchers believe is the very first evidence of elevated microglial activity in people who are at risk of developing schizophrenia, and of an association between greater microglial activation and greater severity of symptoms. While it’s possible that excessive microglial activation is merely a protective response, the results strongly suggest that inflammatory processes are involved in the disease, and may even contribute to its development.
We now know that microglia eliminate unwanted synaptic connections in the same way that the remove pathogens and damaged cells, engulfing them by phagocytosis. This process, called synaptic pruning, occurs extensively throughout the developing brain, and as a matter of course in the healthy adult brain, which continuously makes and breaks synapses. Major pruning also occurs during a protracted period that extends from late adolescence through to early adulthood.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/...ins-immune-cells-hyperactive-in-schizophrenia


On the much-discussed video presentations from earlier in the year,  'Trof' was thought to have a lot to do with helping repair Microglia.   Above article suggests 1 person in 100 is affected by Schizophrenia (which again, I did not know).

Apologies if you already knew (it may be I have just forgotten it being mentioned previously).


Rgds
KMS