Microglia

Microglia are brain cells that help the immune system function in the central nervous system, so they’re considered the immune cells of the brain. When the body experiences injury or disease, microglia are activated and work to bring the body back to health.
In ME/CFS, there’s evidence that microglia are activated more often than in healthy people, which contributes to neuroinflammation. This chronic microglia activation could help explain some of the hallmark symptoms of the disease, including fatigue, cognitive problems, and pain.
At OMF’s Collaborative Center at Uppsala, the team is analyzing microglia activity via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a way of detecting neuroinflammation. Read more about the Deep Assessment of Neuroinflammation study here.