Regulation of synapse remodeling by glial assembly

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project Area: Glial assembly: a new regulatory machinery of brain function and disorders
• Project/Area Number: 25117006
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (Research in a proposed research area)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Review Section: Biological Sciences
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Okabe Shigeo 東京大学, 大学院医学系研究科(医学部), 教授 (60204012)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 橋本 浩一 広島大学, 医歯薬保健学研究科(医), 教授 (00303272)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): WATANABE Masahiko 北海道大学, 医学系研究科, 教授 (70210945)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-06-28 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: グリア / シナプス / 脳神経回路 / 生後発達 / ミクログリア / シナプス刈り込み / 脳透明化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Learning and experience-dependent brain functions can be acquired at the postnatal critical period, when neural circuits receive remodeling and pruning of synapses. Imaging and electrophysiology were applied to study glial contributions to circuit remodeling in the critical period. In the cerebral cortex, the cortical volume is segmented into multiple zones defined by the distance from microglial cell bodies and these zones specify dendritic segments with higher or lower spine dynamics. On the other hand, a study of microglia-specific knockout mice of Csf1r revealed an important role of microglia in climbing fiber pruning in the cerebellum. Regulation of climbing fiber pruning was not dependent on phagocytotic activity, but was suggested to be mediated via inhibitory synapses.

Free Research Field

脳科学