The brain is a pretty incredible organ, its innate complexity is so fascinating yet puzzling that scientists are forever investigating and discovering new things about how our grey matter works. The microglia, a group of cells which are nicknamed the ‘housekeepers’ of the brain play an integral role in maintaining neural health. These tiny but mighty cells are the brain’s first responders, constantly scanning the neural environment looking out for areas that need fixing. They do this by populating the small spaces between neurons essentially gobbling up diseased or damaged cells before they can cause harm.
When the microglia fail to function carry out their clean up function, injured cells hang around causing trouble for our brain, and failing microglia is thought to be an important implication in neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. The key to helping the microglia power up their spring cleaning is to invest in our health, and here are a few tasks to add to your checklist.
