{
  "abstract": "Protein aggregation and impaired clearance constitute central pathological hallmarks of numerous neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and frontotemporal dementia. Misfolded proteins, both extracellular and intracellular, disrupt proteostasis and contribute to synaptic dysfunction, neuroinflammation, and neuronal loss. Within the central nervous system, glial cells serve as the primary mediators of pathological protein clearance. Microglia detect, phagocytose, and degrade aggregated proteins. However, under chronic pathological stress, microglial function turns from clearing pathological proteins to paradoxically facilitating their spread. Astrocytes, which provide metabolic and homeostatic support for neurons, also participate in the clearance of aggregates through phagocytosis and glymphatic drainage. Critically, crosstalk between astrocytes and microglia enhances the clearance: microglia can recruit and process aggregates internalized by astrocytes, while astrocyte-derived signals modulate the microglial phagocytic activity. Aging, genetic risk factors, or sustained neuroinflammation may reduce the efficiency of glial removal of aggregates and accelerate disease progression. Understanding the cellular and molecular underpinnings of microglial and astrocytic clearance pathways is essential for developing therapies aimed at restoring proteostasis and mitigating neurodegeneration.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Neurology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430060 China",
    "Innovative Institute of Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, 250355 China",
    "State Key Laboratory of Metabolism and Regulation in Complex Organisms, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430000 China",
    "TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430000 China",
    "Hubei Provincial Clinical Medical Research Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Wuhan, 430060 China"
  ],
  "article_type": "review article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
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        0
      ],
      "name": "Min Xiong"
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        0
      ],
      "name": "Yeyu Huang"
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    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Haiqiang Jiang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        2,
        3,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Zhentao Zhang"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/83y046sa1nnbk.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1186/s40035-026-00592-y",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13733242/",
  "id": "83y046sa1nnbk",
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  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1186/s40035-026-00592-y",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
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  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
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      "2808|Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms"
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  "pdf_url": "https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s40035-026-00592-y.pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13733242",
  "pmid": "42983584",
  "published": "2026-11-04",
  "publisher": "BMC",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/83y046sa1nnbk.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-08T12:23:05Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13733242",
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      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1186/s40035-026-00592-y"
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    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-08T14:21:02Z",
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  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2808|Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms",
      "subfield": "neurology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Brain clearance of protein aggregates in degenerative diseases: the role of microglia and astrocytes",
  "title_text": "Brain clearance of protein aggregates in degenerative diseases: the role of microglia and astrocytes",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-09T14:21:21Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/83y046sa1nnbk",
  "venue": "Translational Neurodegeneration",
  "versions": []
}