AUTHOR=Honey Diana , Wosnitzka Erin , Klann Eric , Weinhard Laetitia 

TITLE=Analysis of microglial BDNF function and expression in the motor cortex

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience

VOLUME=Volume 16 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fncel.2022.961276

DOI=10.3389/fncel.2022.961276

ISSN=1662-5102

ABSTRACT=Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a neurotrophin that regulates several aspects of brain function. Although numerous studies have demonstrated the expression and function of BDNF in neurons, its expression in microglia remains controversial. Using a combination of genetic tools and fluorescence imaging, we analyzed BDNF expression pattern and investigated the effect of microglial BDNF deletion on neuronal activity, early-stage spine formation, and microglia-neuron interactions in the motor cortex. Our results suggest that microglia do not express BDNF in sufficient amounts to modulate neuronal function.