Journal
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
Volume 94, Issue -, Pages 152-163Publisher
ACADEMIC PRESS LTD- ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2019.06.001
Keywords
Microglia; Sexual dimorphism; Neurodevelopment; Neurodevelopmental disorders; Animal models; Human
Categories
Funding
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) [341846]
- Fonds de Recherche du Quebec - Sante (FRQS)
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In addition to their traditional role as immune sentinels, recent discoveries over the last decade have shown that microglial functions now include regulation of neuronal/glial cell migration, differentiation and maturation, as well as neuronal network formation. It was thus proposed that disruption of these microglial roles, during critical periods of brain development, could lead to the pathological onset of several neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, epilepsy, schizophrenia, and major depressive disorder. The prevalence of these disorders exhibits a clear distinction along sex lines with very little known about the mechanisms underlying this difference. One of the fundamental discoveries that arose from recent research into the physiological roles of microglia in neurodevelopment is their sexual dimorphism, raising the intriguing possibility that sex differences in microglial colonization, maturation and/or function in the developing brain could underlie the emergence of various neurodevelopmental disorders. This review discusses the physiological roles of microglia across neurodevelopment, these roles in the two sexes, and the recent evidence that microglial sexually dimorphic nature may contribute, at least partially, to neurodevelopmental disorders.
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