ReviewMicroglia function during brain development: New insights from animal models

- Microglia are phagocytic cells crucial to the process of healthy brain development.
- Microglia contribute to the patterning of the developing central nervous system by regulating programmed cell death.
- Microglia contribute to the wiring of the developing central nervous system by regulating synapse pruning and maturation.
- Human and mouse studies together suggest that microglia may be important in the pathology of neurodevelopmental disorders.

The role of microglia in healthy brains is just beginning to receive notice. Recent studies have revealed that these phagocytic cells control the patterning and wiring of the developing central nervous system (CNS) by regulating, amongst many other processes, programmed cell death, activity-dependent synaptic pruning and synapse maturation. Microglia also play important roles in the mature brain and have demonstrated effects on behavior. Converging evidence from human and mouse studies together raise questions as to the role of microglia in disorders of brain development such as autism and, schizophrenia. In this review, we summarize a number of major findings regarding the role of microglia in brain development and highlight some key questions and avenues for future study.This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Neuroimmunology in Health And Disease.