Symposium “100 Years of Microglia” available online

The symposium “100 years of Microglia” is now available online.

Microglia, discovered in 1919 by Pío del Río-Hortega, turned 100 years old in 2019. For a long time, microglial research has been hindered by the misconception that these cells solely functioned as macrophages involved in the neuroinflammatory response. However, over the last few decades, there have been a flourish of unexpected discoveries of microglial functions, from synaptic remodeling and establishment of brain connectivity, to modulation of neurogenic niches, myelination, and blood-brain barrier maintenance.

The symposium, 100 Years of Microglia, celebrated one century of microglial research through a series of plenary lectures on selected topics in brain physiology and pathology. The event was organized by Rosa C. Paolicelli from Université de Lausanne, Amanda Sierra from Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, and Helmut Kettenmann from Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine with the support of FENS CHET.