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Mechanisms of aging

Microglia conduct the symphony of white matter degeneration in aging through T cell recruitment

Aging induces pathological changes in central nervous system (CNS) myelin, which in turn induce microglia dysregulation. What is the consequence of this microglial response on white matter pathology in aging? Groh et al. show that a maladaptive white matter-associated microglia state that emerges in aging recruits peripheral T cells to the CNS, which leads to degeneration of myelinated axons and loss of function.

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Fig. 1: WAMs mediate T cell infiltration into the aged optic nerve.

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Correspondence to Veronique E. Miron.

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Monteiro, J.K., Miron, V.E. Microglia conduct the symphony of white matter degeneration in aging through T cell recruitment. Nat Neurosci 28, 1116–1117 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-025-01929-y

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