Microglial morphology in the somatosensory cortex across lifespan. A quantitative study

• Published in: Developmental dynamics Vol. 252; no. 8; pp. 1113 - 1129
• Main Authors: Godeanu, Sanziana, Clarke, Devin, Stopper, Laura, Deftu, Alexandru‐Florian, Popa‐Wagner, Aurel, Bălșeanu, Adrian Tudor, Scheller, Anja, Catalin, Bogdan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, USA John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.08.2023; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: cortex; Cortex (somatosensory); Life span; lifespan changes; Microenvironments; Microglia; microglia arborization; Morphology; Parameter identification; Phenotypes; Physiology; cortex; microglia arborization; lifespan changes
• ISSN: 1058-8388; 1097-0177
• DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.582

Background Microglia are long‐lived cells that constantly monitor their microenvironment. To accomplish this task, they constantly change their morphology both in the short and long term under physiological conditions. This makes the process of quantifying physiological microglial morphology difficult. Results By using a semi‐manual and a semi‐automatic method to assess fine changes in cortical microglia morphology, we were able to quantify microglia changes in number, surveillance and branch tree starting from the fifth postnatal day to 2 years of life. We were able to identify a fluctuating behavior of most analyzed parameters characterized by a rapid cellular maturation, followed by a long period of relative stable morphology during the adult life with a final convergence to an aged phenotype. Detailed cellular arborization analysis revealed age‐induced differences in microglia morphology, with mean branch length and the number of terminal processes changing constantly over time. Conclusions Our study provides insight into microglia morphology changes across lifespan under physiological conditions. We were able to highlight, that due to the dynamic nature of microglia several morphological parameters are needed to establish the physiological state of these cells. Key Findings Detailed characterization of normal microglia morphology reviled specific changes across lifespan, showing both population and cellular differences in early, adult and old mice.