UVA Researcher, Geoffrey Norris talks with Les Sinclair about the recent discovery regarding microglia in the brain. Geoffrey Norris and colleagues in UVA’s Department of Neuroscience and its Center for Brain Immunology and Glia have developed a new model that lets them study microglia in the context of acute injury. UVA researchers already knew that the cells play a critical role in brain development, their role in adulthood was much murkier, many scientists thought their activity was harmful. UVA’s research shows that injury to the central nervous system activates the microglia, and those cells respond with remarkable precision. Norris said. “So rather than being good or bad, what we’re basically seeing is that they’re doing what they need to do.” The findings have been published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. http://dx.doi.org/10.1084/jem.20172244