Advances in human genetics have implicated a growing number of genes in neurodegenerative diseases, providing insight into pathological processes. For Alzheimer disease in particular, genome-wide association studies and gene expression studies have emphasized the pathogenic contributions from microglial cells and motivated studies of microglial function/dysfunction. Here, we summarize recent genetic evidence for microglial involvement in neurodegenerative disease with a focus on Alzheimer disease, for which the evidence is most compelling. To provide context for these genetic discoveries, we discuss how microglia influence brain development and homeostasis, how microglial characteristics change in disease, and which microglial activities likely influence the course of neurodegeneration. In all, we aim to synthesize varied aspects of microglial biology and highlight microglia as possible targets for therapeutic interventions in neurodegenerative disease.

中文翻译：

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小胶质细胞在大脑发育，体内平衡和神经变性中的作用。

人类遗传学的进步已经牵涉到神经退行性疾病中越来越多的基因，从而提供了对病理过程的洞察力。特别是对于阿尔茨海默氏病，全基因组关联研究和基因表达研究强调了小胶质细胞的致病作用以及对小胶质细胞功能/功能障碍的积极研究。在这里，我们总结了小胶质细胞参与神经退行性疾病的最新遗传学证据，重点是阿尔茨海默氏病，这是最有说服力的证据。为了提供这些遗传发现的背景，我们讨论了小胶质细胞如何影响大脑发育和体内稳态，小胶质细胞特性如何在疾病中改变以及哪些小胶质细胞活性可能影响神经变性的过程。在所有，