Project R-2890

The multiple faces of microglia in brain diseases. Phenotyping microglia in the acute-chronic switch of autoimmune, traumatic and excitability disorders (Research)

Microglial cells, the macrophages of the brain, have been described to exert both beneficial and detrimental effects in various brain diseases. In this project, we will further characterize bad and good microglia phenotypes in the acute-chronic switch of animal models of multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury and temporal lobe epilepsy. Thereby, we intend: i) to find out common and disease-specific markers of microglia phenotypes that can help differentiating between the different stages of the brain diseases, ii) to better understand the role of the different microglia phenotypes in the pathophysiology of these affections. This project may therefore provide novel insights into the role of microglial cells and lead to more effective therapies for different brain disorders.

01 January 2011 - 31 December 2015