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Review
. 2023 May;8 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S73-S81.
doi: 10.1002/epi4.12610. Epub 2022 May 17.

Microglia and status epilepticus in the immature brain

Maria-Leonor López-Meraz  1 , Dulce-Mariely Álvarez-Croda  1
Affiliations
Review

Microglia and status epilepticus in the immature brain

Maria-Leonor López-Meraz et al. Epilepsia Open. 2023 May.

Abstract

Microglia are the resident immune cells of the Central Nervous System (CNS), which are activated due to brain damage, as part of the neuroinflammatory response. Microglia undergo morphological and biochemical modifications during activation, adopting a pro-inflammatory or an antiinflammatory state. In the developing brain, status epilepticus (SE) promotes microglia activation that is associated with neuronal injury in some areas of the brain, such as the hippocampus, thalamus, and amygdala. However, the timing of this activation, the anatomical pattern, and the morphological and biochemical characteristics of microglia in the immature brain are age-dependent and have not been fully characterized. Therefore, this review focuses on the response of microglia to SE and its relationship to neurodegeneration.

Keywords: status epilepticus; immature brain; microglia.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interests. We confirm that we have read the Journal's position on issues involved in ethical publication.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Microglia response to status epilepticus (SE). Seizures promote an increase in proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin‐1β and TNF‐α and neurodegeneration that ends in neuronal cell death by necrotic or apoptotic mechanisms. These two phenomena promote microglia activation, including morphological and biochemical changes that favor a pro‐inflammatory phenotype that supports a neuroinflammatory environment facilitating neuronal degeneration
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