The Evolving Dialogue of Microglia and Neurons in Alzheimer’s Disease: Microglia as Necessary Transducers of Pathology

Occupational-like organophosphate exposure disrupts microglia and accelerates deficits in a rat model of Alzheimer's disease

Occupational exposure to organophosphate pesticides, such as chlorpyrifos (CPF), increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD), though the mechanism is unclear. To investigate this, we subjected 4-month-old male and female wild-type (WT) and TgF344-AD rats, a transgenic AD model, to an occupational CPF exposure paradigm that recapitulates biomarkers and behavioral impairments experienced by agricultural workers. Subsequent cognition and neuropathology were analyzed over the next 20 months. CPF exposure caused chronic microglial dysregulation and accelerated neurodegeneration in both males and females. The effect on neurodegeneration was more severe in males, and was also associated with accelerated cognitive impairment. Females did not exhibit accelerated cognitive impairment after CPF exposure, and amyloid deposition and tauopathy were unchanged in both males and females. Microglial dysregulation may mediate the increased risk of AD associated with occupational organophosphate exposure, and future therapies to preserve or restore normal microglia might help prevent AD in genetically vulnerable individuals exposed to CPF or other disease-accelerating environmental agents.

The intestinal microbiome and Alzheimer's disease: A review

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an increasingly common neurodegenerative disease. Since the intestinal microbiome is closely related to nervous system diseases, alterations in the composition of intestinal microbiota could potentially contribute to the pathophysiology of AD. However, how the initial interactions with intestinal microbes alter events later in life, such as during neurodegenerative diseases, is still unclear. This review summarizes what is known about the relationship between the intestinal microbiome and AD.

Suppression of Presymptomatic Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Neurodegeneration by Grape-Derived Polyphenols

Neurodegenerative disorders constitute a group of multifaceted conditions characterized by the progressive loss of neurons and synaptic connections consequent to a combination of specific genetic predispositions and stochastic stressors. The neuropathologies observed in both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease are in part attributed to compounding intrinsic and extrinsic environmental stressors, which we propose may be limited by the administration of specific grape derived phytochemicals and their metabolized derivatives, specifically polyphenols isolated from grape botanicals. Current therapies for neurodegenerative disorders are limited as they solely target the final disease pathologies including behavioral changes, cognitive deficits, proteinopathies and neuronal loss; however, this strategy is not a sustainable approach toward managing disease onset or progression. This review discusses the application of grape derived polyphenols as an adjunctive treatment paradigm for the prevention of neuropathologies associated with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy by simultaneously ameliorating two stochastic stressors that facilitate their disease pathologies: inflammation and oxidative stress. The biophysical attributes of grape-derived polyphenols buffer against redox potential dependent peripheral and neuroinflammation and down regulate the activation of inflammasomes in microglia and astrocytes, which could provide a novel mechanism through which grape-derived polyphenols simultaneously suppress risk factors across pathologically distinct neurodegenerative conditions. This approach therefore offers a prophylactic mode, not feasible through current pharmacological agents, to target activity dependent risk factors for neurodegenerative disorders that manifest over an individual's lifetime.

The Role of Microglia in the Spread of Tau: Relevance for Tauopathies

Tauopathies are neurodegenerative diseases which course with the accumulation of Tau, mainly in neurons. In addition, Tau accumulates in a hyperphosphorylated and aggregated form. This protein is released into the extracellular space and spreads following a stereotypical pattern, inducing the development of the disease through connected regions of the brain. Microglia-the macrophages of the brain-are involved in maintaining brain homeostasis. They perform a variety of functions related to the surveillance and clearance of pathological proteins, among other dead cells and debris, from the extracellular space that could compromise brain equilibrium. This review focuses on the role played by microglia in tauopathies, specifically in Alzheimer's disease (AD), and how the uncoupling of activation/phagocytosis functions can have fatal consequences leading to the development of the pathology.

An Inflammation-Centric View of Neurological Disease: Beyond the Neuron

Inflammation is a complex biological response fundamental to how the body deals with injury and infection to eliminate the initial cause of cell injury and effect repair. Unlike a normally beneficial acute inflammatory response, chronic inflammation can lead to tissue damage and ultimately its destruction, and often results from an inappropriate immune response. Inflammation in the nervous system (“neuroinflammation”), especially when prolonged, can be particularly injurious. While inflammation per se may not cause disease, it contributes importantly to disease pathogenesis across both the peripheral (neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia) and central [e.g., Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, multiple sclerosis, motor neuron disease, ischemia and traumatic brain injury, depression, and autism spectrum disorder] nervous systems. The existence of extensive lines of communication between the nervous system and immune system represents a fundamental principle underlying neuroinflammation. Immune cell-derived inflammatory molecules are critical for regulation of host responses to inflammation. Although these mediators can originate from various non-neuronal cells, important sources in the above neuropathologies appear to be microglia and mast cells, together with astrocytes and possibly also oligodendrocytes. Understanding neuroinflammation also requires an appreciation that non-neuronal cell—cell interactions, between both glia and mast cells and glia themselves, are an integral part of the inflammation process. Within this context the mast cell occupies a key niche in orchestrating the inflammatory process, from initiation to prolongation. This review will describe the current state of knowledge concerning the biology of neuroinflammation, emphasizing mast cell-glia and glia-glia interactions, then conclude with a consideration of how a cell's endogenous mechanisms might be leveraged to provide a therapeutic strategy to target neuroinflammation.