Analysis of Microglial Proliferation in Alzheimer’s Disease

The expansion and activation of the microglial population is a hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases. Despite this fact, little quantitative information is available for specific neurodegenerative disorders, particularly for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Determining the degree of local proliferation will not only open avenues into understanding the dynamics of microglial proliferation, but also provide an effective target to design strategies with therapeutic potential. Here we describe immunohistochemical methods to analyse microglial proliferation in both transgenic murine models of AD and in human post-mortem samples, to provide a broad picture of the microglial response at the different experimental levels. The application of a common and universal method to analyse the microglial dynamics across different laboratories will help to understand the contribution of these cells to the pathology of AD and other neurodegenerative diseases.