Recent advances in the study of microglia; potential cell therapy for Alzheimer’s disease

Recent advances in the study of microglia; potential cell therapy for Alzheimer's disease

Ikuo Tooyama

Molecular Neuroscience Research Center, Shiga University of Medical Science

Evidence is accumulating that microglia have both protective and degenerative roles in the brain of Alzheimer's disease. If the degenerative functions of microglia are inhibited and the protective roles are enhanced, microglia could provide a promising future as therapeutic tools for Alzheimer's disease. In this point of view, this review describes recent progress on the therapeutic use of microglia and bone-marrow-derived cells for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. In addition, we demonstrate the usefulness of magnetic resonance（MR）tracking method for non-invasive monitoring of exogenous microglia.

Address correspondence to Dr. Ikuo Tooyama, Molecular Neuroscience Research Center, Shiga University of Medical Science (Setatsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga 520-2192, Japan)