24 seconds: Microglia are the brain's primary immune cells, they protect and regulate brain development, maintain neuronal networks, and bury apoptotic cells. External factors like social isolation invoke microglia cells to take on an injurious pathway by over secreting proteins that accumulate and form amyloid plaques that collect between neurons and can disrupt cell function.
7 words: Social isolation is bad for brain cells.
Alexis M. (Class of 2023)
Image of a plaque being engulfed by microglia