Physiology of Microglia

Microglial cells derive from fetal macrophages which immigrate into and disseminate throughout the central nervous system (CNS) in early embryogenesis. After settling in the nerve tissue, microglial progenitors acquire an idiosyncratic morphological phenotype with small cell body and moving thin and highly ramified processes currently defined as “resting or surveillant microglia”. Physiology of microglia is manifested by second messenger-mediated cellular excitability, low resting membrane conductance, and expression of receptors to pathogen- or damage-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs and DAMPs), as well as receptors to classical neurotransmitters and neurohormones. This specific physiological profile reflects adaptive changes of myeloid cells to the CNS environment.