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Review
. 2018 May;125(5):809-826.
doi: 10.1007/s00702-017-1795-7. Epub 2017 Oct 23.

Differential contribution of microglia and monocytes in neurodegenerative diseases

Caroline Baufeld  1 , Elaine O'Loughlin  1 , Narghes Calcagno  1 , Charlotte Madore  1 , Oleg Butovsky  2   3
Affiliations
Review

Differential contribution of microglia and monocytes in neurodegenerative diseases

Caroline Baufeld et al. J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2018 May.

Abstract

Neuroinflammation is a hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Microglia, the innate immune cells of the CNS, are the first to react to pathological insults. However, multiple studies have also demonstrated an involvement of peripheral monocytes in several neurodegenerative diseases. Due to the different origins of these two cell types, it is important to distinguish their role and function in the development and progression of these diseases. In this review, we will summarize and discuss the current knowledge of the differential contributions of microglia and monocytes in the common neurodegenerative diseases AD, PD, and ALS, as well as multiple sclerosis, which is now regarded as a combination of inflammatory processes and neurodegeneration. Until recently, it has been challenging to differentiate microglia from monocytes, as there were no specific markers. Therefore, the recent identification of specific molecular signatures of both cell types will help to advance our understanding of their differential contribution in neurodegenerative diseases.

Keywords: Microglia; Monocytes; Neurodegeneration; Neuroinflammation.

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