Eliminating microglia in Alzheimer’s mice prevents neuronal loss without modulating amyloid-β pathology

Abstract

Microglia-mediated inflammation is a driving force in Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis. Spangenberg et al. show that elimination of microglia in 5xfAD mice improves cognitive function and ameliorates synaptic/neuronal loss without altering amyloid-β levels or plaque load. Thus, microglia act downstream of plaques to mediate damage to the brain.

Abstract

Microglia-mediated inflammation is a driving force in Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis. Spangenberg et al. show that elimination of microglia in 5xfAD mice improves cognitive function and ameliorates synaptic/neuronal loss without altering amyloid-β levels or plaque load. Thus, microglia act downstream of plaques to mediate damage to the brain.

Abstract

In addition to amyloid-β plaque and tau neurofibrillary tangle deposition, neuroinflammation is considered a key feature of Alzheimer’s disease pathology. Inflammation in Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the presence of reactive astrocytes and activated microglia surrounding amyloid plaques, implicating their role in disease pathogenesis. Microglia in the healthy adult mouse depend on colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R) signalling for survival, and pharmacological inhibition of this receptor results in rapid elimination of nearly all of the microglia in the central nervous system. In this study, we set out to determine if chronically activated microglia in the Alzheimer's disease brain are also dependent on CSF1R signalling, and if so, how these cells contribute to disease pathogenesis. Ten-month-old 5xfAD mice were treated with a selective CSF1R inhibitor for 1 month, resulting in the elimination of ∼80% of microglia. Chronic microglial elimination does not alter amyloid-β levels or plaque load; however, it does rescue dendritic spine loss and prevent neuronal loss in 5xfAD mice, as well as reduce overall neuroinflammation. Importantly, behavioural testing revealed improvements in contextual memory. Collectively, these results demonstrate that microglia contribute to neuronal loss, as well as memory impairments in 5xfAD mice, but do not mediate or protect from amyloid pathology.