Complement and microglia mediate early synapse loss in Alzheimer mouse models

Too much cleaning up The complement system and microglia seek out and destroy unwanted cellular debris for the peripheral immune system as well as excess synapses in the developing brain. Hong et al. now show how the system may go haywire in adults early in the progression toward Alzheimer's disease (AD). Aberrant synapse loss is an early feature of Alzheimer's and correlates with cognitive decline. In mice susceptible to AD, complement was...