Microglial cells are the resident tissue macrophages of the CNS and are widely recognized for their immune surveillance of the healthy CNS. In addition to this well-accepted function, recent findings point to major roles for microglia in instructing and regulating the proper function of the neuronal networks in the adult CNS, but these cells are also involved in creating neuronal networks by orchestrating construction of the whole network during development. In this Review, we highlight recent findings about the steady-state functions of microglial cells, the factors that are important for physiological microglial function, and how microglia help to maintain tissue homeostasis in the CNS.

小胶质细胞是中枢神经系统的常驻组织巨噬细胞，因其对健康中枢神经系统的免疫监视而被广泛认可。除了这种公认的功能外，最近的发现还表明小胶质细胞在指导和调节成年中枢神经系统中神经元网络的适当功能中起着重要作用，但这些细胞还通过协调整个网络的构建而参与创建神经元网络。在开发过程中。在本综述中，我们重点介绍了有关小胶质细胞稳定状态功能，对生理性小胶质细胞功能重要的因素以及小胶质细胞如何帮助维持中枢神经系统组织稳态的最新发现。