Extended Data Fig. 1: Visual representation of the role of microglia activation in longitudinal accumulation of amyloid and tau aggregates. | Nature Aging

Extended Data Fig. 1: Visual representation of the role of microglia activation in longitudinal accumulation of amyloid and tau aggregates.

From: Microglial activation protects against accumulation of tau aggregates in nondemented individuals with underlying Alzheimer’s disease pathology

Extended Data Fig. 1

When microglia are in a homeostatic state, they do not protect against the accumulation of amyloid and tau aggregates, which increase over time in individuals at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) (a). In contrast, when sTREM2 signaling is present, this marker allows microglia to transition from an homeostatic state to a disease-associated microglia stage 2 (DAM2) state characterized by higher AXL, MERTK, GAS6, CST7, CSF1 and LPL levels. The increases in sTREM2 and DAM2 markers have protective effects by reducing the longitudinal deposition of amyloid plaques and tau aggregates (b). An important exception is the DAM2 marker SPP1, which seems to have a detrimental rather than a protective effect on future AD-related changes. This figure was created using the Biorender.com software.

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