Microglia & neurons

Cell-to-cell communication is crucial for regulating cellular functions in response to the environment. To understand how this communication works is important if we want to influence the inflammatory response with novel treatments.

We investigate the interactions between neurons and glial cells, particularly microglia, before the development of extensive plaque pathology. To this end, we utilize transgenic mice models that carry gene mutations known to cause familial Alzheimer's disease in humans. The hope is that novel insights from our models can be investigated further in humans and point towards therapeutic targets.

Moreover, we want to decipher the role of extracellular vesicles in cell-to-cell inflammatory communication and propagation of neuroinflammation. Our data so far has revealed that activated microglia release distinct populations of extracellular vesicles compared to resting microglia.