This weeks podcast was recorded a few weeks ago at the Alzheimer's Research UK Conference in Harrogate. Dr Katie Stubbs speaks with Dr Katie Askew, Dr Mike Daniels and PhD student Makis Tzioras. This team are all based at the UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Edinburgh.

Our special subject for this week is Microglia. For those listeners who don’t know, Microglia form part of the brain’s immune system and are key players in controlling brain health via multiple mechanisms. These mechanisms include releasing cytokines, phagocytosis of debris, synaptic pruning and forming the glio-vascular unit. In neurodegenerative diseases, like dementia, nearly all physiological microglial functions stray away from homeostasis and contribute to disease pathogenesis. So you can see why research in this field is important, and why it’s been such a hot topic at dementia research conferences this year.

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