Microglia determine beta-amyloid plaque burden but are non-essential for downstream pathology
Evidence points to a role for microglia in Alzheimers disease (AD) risk, although their position in the pathological cascade is incompletely understood, prompting us to generate a model of beta-amyloidopathy lacking microglia. We find evidence that microglia promote plaque formation and creation of an A-beta fibril-rich zone surrounding the plaque core. However, plaque-proximal reactive astrogliosis, synapse loss, and neurite dystrophy are still observed in the absence of microglia.