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Microglia are the primary immune cells of the CNS, contributing to both inflammatory damage and tissue repair in neurological disorder. In addition, emerging evidence highlights the role of homeostatic microglia in regulating neuronal activity, interacting with synapses, tuning neural circuits, and modulating behaviors. Herein, we review how microglia sense and regulate neuronal activity through synaptic interactions, thereby directly engaging with neural networks and behaviors. We discuss current studies utilizing microglial optogenetic and chemogenetic approaches to modulate adult neural circuits. These manipulations of microglia across different CNS regions lead to diverse behavioral consequences. We propose that spatial heterogeneity of microglia-neuron interaction lays the groundwork for understanding diverse functions of microglia in neural circuits and behaviors.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2023.12.003 | DOI Listing |
Cereb Cortex
August 2025
Section of Brain Function Information, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, 38 Nishigonaka, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan.
This study aimed to identify brain activity modulations associated with different types of visual tracking using advanced functional magnetic resonance imaging techniques developed by the Human Connectome Project (HCP) consortium. Magnetic resonance imaging data were collected from 27 healthy volunteers using a 3-T scanner. During a single run, participants either fixated on a stationary visual target (fixation block) or tracked a smoothly moving or jumping target (smooth or saccadic tracking blocks), alternating across blocks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Biomed Opt
September 2025
Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems IMS, Duisburg, Germany.
Significance: The spatial and temporal distribution of fluorophore fractions in biological and environmental systems contains valuable information about the interactions and dynamics of these systems. To access this information, fluorophore fractions are commonly determined by means of their fluorescence emission spectrum (ES) or lifetime (LT). Combining both dimensions in temporal-spectral multiplexed data enables more accurate fraction determination while requiring advanced and fast analysis methods to handle the increased data complexity and size.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Neural Circuits
September 2025
Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan.
Neuronal networks in animal brains are considered to realize specific filter functions through the precise configuration of synaptic weights, which are autonomously regulated without external supervision. In this study, we employ a single Hodgkin-Huxley-type neuron with autapses as a minimum model to computationally investigate how spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) adjusts synaptic weights through recurrent feedback. The results show that the weights undergo oscillatory potentiation or depression with respect to autaptic delay and high-frequency stimulation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Neural Circuits
September 2025
Neuroscience Institute, National Research Council (CNR), Pisa, Italy.
Neural circuits sculpt their structure and modify the strength of their connections to effectively adapt to the external stimuli throughout life. In response to practice and experience, the brain learns to distinguish previously undetectable stimulus features recurring in the external environment. The unconscious acquisition of improved perceptual abilities falls into a form of implicit learning known as perceptual learning.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Neural Circuits
September 2025
Department of Mechano-Informatics, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Introduction: Understanding how neural networks process complex patterns of information is crucial for advancing both neuroscience and artificial intelligence. To investigate fundamental principles of neural computation, we examined whether dissociated neuronal cultures, one of the most primitive living neural networks, exhibit regularity sensitivity beyond mere stimulus-specific adaptation and deviance detection.
Methods: We recorded activity to oddball electrical stimulation paradigms from dissociated rat cortical neurons cultured on high-resolution CMOS microelectrode arrays.