Although important to brain cell health, Microglial cells also produce nitric oxide in reaction to their
function as protectors,” Gu said.
Peter Bloomfield and his colleagues wanted to know if the activity of Microglial cells is altered in the early stages of schizophrenia.
By creating a cell model of neurological stress and monitoring Microglial cell function,
Gu's team was able to study FruArg's contribution to brain health.
The results suggest that blocking or reducing Microglial activation, with drugs that are already being
used to treat other conditions, might alleviate the symptoms of schizophrenia.
And post-mortem examinations of brain tissue show that activated Microglial cells are present in higher numbers
in people with schizophrenia compared to others, particularly in the frontal and temporal lobes.
My hunch is that this is what's going on, and that Microglial activation is part of the disease pathology,
as opposed to a protective response,” says senior author Oliver Howes.
We didn't continue the study to see whether phagocytosis was further impaired after longer exposures to alcohol,
but it appears that these changes in Microglial cells could be a contributing factor
to the development of Alzheimer's disease.".