A Microglia Cell (Green) Surrounded by Synapses (Red) (IMAGE)
Caption
Researchers at the University of Tokyo have studied how exercise can change the structure of mouse brains modeling autism spectrum disorder. Exercise likely enhances the difference between active and inactive neuronal connections so that less active ones can be more easily targeted for removal, part of a healthy brain's normal development. Microglia cells (seen above in green) remove those less active synapses.
Image originally published in Cell Reports DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.05.015
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Photo by Ryuta Koyama, CC-BY.
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Photo by Ryuta Koyama, CC-BY.
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