Microglia mediate forgetting via complement-dependent synaptic elimination

Abstract

Microglia modulate memories Synaptic reorganization and circuit rewiring leads to loss or weakening of connections between neurons and may result in the erasure of previously formed memories. Microglia eliminate excessive synapses in the developing brain and regulate the dynamics of synaptic connections between neurons throughout life. However, it is still unclear whether forgetting is related to microglia activity and how microglia regulate memory erasure in the adult brain. Wang et al. discovered that microglia eliminated synaptic components in the adult hippocampus and that depleting microglia or inhibiting phagocytosis of microglia prevented forgetting. Synapse elimination by microglia may thus lead to degradation of memory engrams and forgetting of previously learned contextual fear memory. Science , this issue p. 688