Aggregated α‐synuclein activates microglia: a process leading to disease progression in Parkinson's disease

A growing body of evidence indicates that an inflammatory process in the substantia nigra, characterized by activation of resident microglia, likely either initiates or aggravates nigral neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease (PD). To study the mechanisms by which nigral microglia are activated in PD, the potential role of alpha-synuclein (a major component of Lewy bodies that can cause neurodegeneration when aggregated) in microglial activation was investigated. The results demonstrated that in a primary mesencephalic neuron-glia culture system, extracellular aggregated human alpha-synuclein indeed activated microglia; microglial activation enhanced dopaminergic neurodegeneration induced by aggregated…