Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine and McKnight Brain Institute, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine and McKnight Brain Institute, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
Curr Opin Immunol. 2014 Aug;29:93-6. doi: 10.1016/j.coi.2014.05.005. Epub 2014 Jun 5.
Microglial cells comprising the brain's immune system are essential for ensuring neuroprotection in the normal and pathological CNS. On the basis of histopathological observations in human brain, we believe that the ability of microglia to provide neuroprotection deteriorates as our brains get older and that such CNS immune senescence is a major factor contributing to the development of aging-related neurodegenerative diseases, notably Alzheimer's disease. The idea is consistent with the fact that immune senescence occurs naturally in the periphery, rendering the elderly people more susceptible to infections and cancers. There is an analogous situation in the brain, except that here the main impact comes down to diminished neuroprotection and resultant neurodegeneration.
小胶质细胞是大脑免疫系统的重要组成部分，对于确保中枢神经系统的正常和病理状态下的神经保护至关重要。基于对人脑的组织病理学观察，我们认为，随着大脑的衰老，小胶质细胞提供神经保护的能力会下降，而这种中枢神经系统免疫衰老，是导致与衰老相关的神经退行性疾病（尤其是阿尔茨海默病）发展的主要因素。这一观点与外周免疫衰老的自然发生的事实是一致的，使老年人更容易受到感染和癌症的影响。在大脑中也存在类似的情况，只不过这里的主要影响是神经保护作用减弱，导致神经退行性病变。
