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Microglia: Agents of the CNS Pro-Inflammatory Response
Rodríguez-Gómez JA, Kavanagh E, Engskog-Vlachos P, Engskog MKR, Herrera AJ, Espinosa-Oliva AM, Joseph B, Hajji N et al.. Cells, 2020-07-17
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
The pro-inflammatory immune response driven by microglia is a key contributor to the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative diseases. Though the research of microglia spans over a century, the last two decades have increased our understanding exponentially. Here, we discuss the phenotypic transformation from homeostatic microglia towards reactive microglia, initiated by specific ligand binding to pattern recognition receptors including toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) or triggering receptors expressed on myeloid cells-2 (TREM2), as well as pro-inflammatory signaling pathways triggered such as the caspase-mediated immune response.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Rodríguez-Gómez, J. A., Kavanagh, E., Engskog-Vlachos, P., Engskog, M. K. R., Herrera, A. J., Espinosa-Oliva, A. M., et al. (2020). Microglia: Agents of the CNS Pro-Inflammatory Response. Cells. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells9071717
Vancouver
Rodríguez-Gómez JA, Kavanagh E, Engskog-Vlachos P, Engskog MKR, Herrera AJ, Espinosa-Oliva AM, et al. Microglia: Agents of the CNS Pro-Inflammatory Response. Cells. 2020. doi:10.3390/cells9071717. PMID: 32709045.
BibTeX
@article{rodriguezgomez2020-32709045,
author = {Rodríguez-Gómez, J. A. and Kavanagh, E. and Engskog-Vlachos, P. and Engskog, M. K. R. and Herrera, A. J. and Espinosa-Oliva, A. M. and Joseph, B. and Hajji, N. and others},
title = {{Microglia: Agents of the CNS Pro-Inflammatory Response}},
journal = {Cells},
year = {2020},
doi = {10.3390/cells9071717},
pmid = {32709045},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/cells9071717}
}
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Key findings
- Though the research of microglia spans over a century, the last two decades have increased our understanding exponentially.
- Here, we discuss the phenotypic transformation from homeostatic microglia towards reactive microglia, initiated by specific ligand binding to pattern recognition receptors including toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) or triggering receptors expressed on myeloid cells-2 (TREM2), as well as pro-inflammatory signaling pathways triggered such as the caspase-mediated immune response.
- Additionally, new research disciplines such as epigenetics and immunometabolism have provided us with a more holistic view of how changes in DNA methylation, microRNAs, and the metabolome may influence the pro-inflammatory response.
- This review aimed to discuss our current knowledge of pro-inflammatory microglia from different angles, including recent research highlights such as the role of exosomes in spreading neuroinflammation and emerging techniques in microglia research including positron emission tomography (PET) scanning and the use of human microglia generated from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
Why it matters
This is a review discussing microglial inflammatory responses and receptors including TREM2 in neurodegenerative diseases. It reports no new treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Genetics →
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 51/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Cells) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Cells: journal h-index 234 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2020 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 365 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 45.6 citations a year over 8 year(s) since 2020 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 14.5× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 3 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 188 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Miguel Ángel Burguillos: h-index 24 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Imperial College London: institution h-index 1,744 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 6 institution(s) in 3 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 32709045) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 51 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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