This study identifies off-target neural pathways activated during carotid baroreceptor stimulation in swine, contributing to side-effects of baroreflex activation therapy.

Journal of Neural Engineering · May 6, 2026Peer-reviewedBioengineering

Dark Microglia Are Abundant in Normal Postnatal Development, where they Remodel Synapses via Phagocytosis and Trogocytosis, and Are Dependent on TREM2

Haley A. Vecchiarelli, Kanchan Bisht, Kaushik P. Sharma, Sammy Weiser Novak, Marianela Evelyn Traetta, Monica Emili Garcia‐Segura, Marie‐Kim St‐Pierre, Julie C. Savage, Cory M. Willis, Katherine Picard, Maude Bordeleau, Nathalie Vernoux, Mohammadparsa Khakpour, Rishika Garg, Sophia M. Loewen, , Marie‐Ève Tremblay

This study identifies dark microglia in postnatal mouse hippocampus, showing they perform synapse remodeling via phagocytosis and trogocytosis and depend on TREM2.

bioRxiv · Oct 15, 2024 · PreprintNeuroscience

Impaired developmental microglial pruning of excitatory synapses on CRH-expressing hypothalamic neurons exacerbates stress responses throughout life

Jessica L. Bolton, Annabel K. Short, Shivashankar Othy, Cassandra L. Kooiker, Manlin Shao, Benjamin G. Gunn, Jaclyn Beck, Xinglong Bai, Stephanie M. Law, Julie C. Savage, Jeremy J. Lambert, Delia Belelli, Marie‐Ève Tremblay, Michael D. Cahalan, Tallie Z. Baram

The paper shows that early-life adversity impairs microglial pruning of excitatory synapses on CRH-expressing hypothalamic neurons, leading to heightened stress responses later in life.

Cell Reports · Mar 1, 2022Peer-reviewedNeuroscience