Abstract

FR.14.06

Ontogeny and function of microglial cells during traumatic insult of the optic nerve

Thanos S.
University Eye Hospital, Department of Experimental Ophthalmology, Münster

Objective: In the last decades, the microglial cells have moved from a strongly contested component of the retina to being identified as one of the protagonists in the response to multiple retinal diseases including injuries.
Methods: Microglia is thought to arise from cells of haematopoietic origin, and enter the retina though the optic nerve stalk in response to naturally occurring cell death. One migrated into the retina, they reside within different retinal layers and can reactivated to migrate within the parenchyma either vertically or horizontally. Certain retinal diseases are also associated with subretinal accumulation of microglia.
Results: As a result, the microglial cell is seen surveillance component of the immune network beyond the blood-retinal barriers. The main role of microglia within the adult retina is to quickly respond to any disruption of the normal retinal function, whether that disruption comes from direct damage to neurons, neuronal degeneration or through disease. In that context traumatic lesions will be discussed as they provide experimental access to the microglia responses and to their posttraumatic behaviour. It will be shown that control of microglia activity using pharmacological treatments interferes with the fate of injured neurons, thus assigning these cells a crucial contribution to the processes of neuronal death.
Conclusions: In short, it will be shown that microglia cannot be seen merely as cells of a certain type within the retina, but instead must be regarded as an intrinsic immunocompetent network that shapes the overall response of the retina to optic nerve injury.

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