Regulation of microglial phagocytosis (360G-Wellcome-203736_Z_16_A)

Microglia are the brain's immune cells. They constantly survey the brain to search for invading micro-organisms, unwanted molecules (such as amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's disease) or dying cells, but also play a key role in sculpting the circuitry of the brain by removing unnecessary cells and synapses during development. The mechanisms by which microglia constantly move their processes to survey the brain, and then remove invading micro-organisms, plaques, cells or synapses, are poorly understood. I will use 2-photon and confocal imaging techniques to investigate these events, taking advantage of recent discoveries from the Attwell lab which have revealed the importance of microglial potassium channels and purinergic receptors in controlling these events.