Reestablishing microglia function: Good news for Alzheimer's therapy?

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of age-related neurodegenerative disease resulting in dementia. The current notion is that AD is based on a pathological plaque-forming accumulation of amyloid- (A) peptides that originate from a disturbed balance between production and removal of A peptides. Loss of A uptake capacity by brain microglia is linked to A plaque formation and AD onset. In this issue of The EMBO Journal, Daria and colleagues show that this microglia dysfunction is reversible and that existing A plaques can be cleared, suggesting that restoring microglia function may be vital for treating AD.