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Microglia in health and disease
Kim SU, de Vellis J.. Journal of neuroscience research, 2005-08-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Microglia, one of three glial cell types in the central nervous system (CNS), play an important role as resident immunocompetent and phagocytic cells in the CNS in the event of injury and disease. It was del Rio Hortega in 1927 who determined that microglia belong a distinct glial cell type apart from astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, and since 1970s there has been wide recognition that microglia are immune effectors in the CNS that respond to pathological conditions and participate in initiation and progression of neurological disorders including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and acquired immune deficiency syndrome dementia complex by releasing potentially cytotoxic molecules such as proinflammatory cytokines, reactive oxygen intermediates, proteinases and complement proteins. There is also evidence to suggest that microglia are capable of secreting neurot
Key findings
- It was del Rio Hortega in 1927 who determined that microglia belong a distinct glial cell type apart from astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, and since 1970s there has been wide recognition that microglia are immune effectors in the CNS that respond to pathological conditions and participate in initiation and progression of neurological disorders including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and acquired immune deficiency syndrome dementia complex by releasing potentially cytotoxic molecules such as proinflammatory cytokines, reactive oxygen intermediates, proteinases and complement proteins.
- There is also evidence to suggest that microglia are capable of secreting neurotrophic or neuron survival factors upon activation via inflammation or injury.
- It is thus timely to review current status of knowledge on biology and immunology of microglia, and consider new directions of investigation on microglia in health and disease.
Why it matters
This review describes microglia as the brain's resident immune and phagocytic cells that respond to injury and disease and can release cytotoxic molecules or neurotrophic factors. It reports no treatment, cure or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 49/100
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 (Journal of neuroscience research) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Journal of Neuroscience Research: journal h-index 222 (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 | 1 / 5 | 2005 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| 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 664 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 28.9 citations a year over 23 year(s) since 2005 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 23.3× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 8 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 37 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Jean de Vellis: h-index 65 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of California, Los Angeles: institution h-index 1,923 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 3 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 15954124) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 49 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1002/jnr.20562
- PubMed: 15954124
- Original source →
- Free full text: Journal of Neuroscience Research →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Kim, S. U., & de Vellis, J. (2005). Microglia in health and disease. Journal of neuroscience research. https://doi.org/10.1002/jnr.20562
Vancouver
Kim SU, de Vellis J. Microglia in health and disease. Journal of neuroscience research. 2005. doi:10.1002/jnr.20562. PMID: 15954124.
BibTeX
@article{kim2005-15954124,
author = {Kim, S. U. and de Vellis, J.},
title = {{Microglia in health and disease}},
journal = {Journal of neuroscience research},
year = {2005},
doi = {10.1002/jnr.20562},
pmid = {15954124},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/jnr.20562}
}
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