PhD Scientific Days 2025

Poster Session I. - Q: Neurosciences

The Role of Microglia in Modulating Neurovascular Processes and Functional Connectivity

Name of the presenter

Császár Eszter

Institute/workplace of the presenter

Laboratory of Neuroimmunology, HUN-REN Institute of Experimental Medicine

Authors

Eszter Csaszar¹, Nikolett Lenart¹, Csaba Cserep¹, Balazs Posfai¹, Adam Denes¹

1: Laboratory of Neuroimmunology, HUN-REN Institute of Experimental Medicine

Text of the abstract

Introduction: Microglia are the main immune cells of the brain, with emerging roles that extend beyond immune-related functions. Although they are known to shape neuronal function in both physiological and pathological conditions, their involvement in neurovascular processes has remained largely unexplored. Our recent findings demonstrate that microglia play a crucial role in modulating cerebral blood flow (CBF) and neurovascular coupling through purinergic signaling.
Aims: The aims of this study were to investigate the mechanisms of microglia-vascular interactions and the role of microglia in modulation of functional connectivity during resting-state activity and sensory stimulation.
Method: CBF changes were measured by Functional Ultrasound (fUS) and Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging through the intact skull bone, in real time. Functional connectivity patterns were investigated during resting state and whisker- or visual stimulation using fUS. The role of microglial actions was investigated after elimination of microglia by PLX5622 or by using P2Y12R KO mice.
Results: Strengthening our previous data in the barrel cortex, our present results show that microglia influence neurovascular coupling in the visual cortex during visual stimulation. Additionally, while resting-state functional connectivity remained unchanged in the absence of microglia or microglial P2Y12R, we observed impaired thalamocortical functional connectivity during somatosensory stimulation in both microglia-depleted and P2Y12R KO mice.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that microglia should be considered as an important modulatory cell type involved in physiological and pathological alterations of CBF. Our observations also emphasize the importance of microglia-mediated actions in maintaining normal functional connectivity within the thalamocortical network during somatosensory stimulation. Understanding microglial actions may facilitate the discovery of novel treatment opportunities in common neurological disorders.
Funding: This study was supported by „Momentum” research grant from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (LP2022-5/2022 to A.D.), the European Research Council (ERC-CoG 724994 to A.D.), and the EKÖP-2024-108 (E. Cs.) New National Excellence Program of the Ministry for Culture and Innovation from the Source of the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund.