{
  "abstract": "Chronic neuroinflammation gives rise to diverse microglial states across the brain, yet how region-specific microglial remodeling contributes to cognitive dysfunction remains unclear. Here we report that synapse-engulfing microglia in the thalamus drive cognitive impairment after cortical brain damage in mice, primarily studied in females. Region-specific manipulations of microglia during the chronic phase show that reactive microglial changes in the thalamus, but not in the hippocampus, impair recognition memory. Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals an enrichment of synapse-engulfing CD9 hi microglia in the thalamus. Antibody-based CD9 blockade in the thalamus, as well as microglia-selective CD9 disruption, rescues thalamic synaptic loss, restores neuronal activity, and improves recognition memory. Further analysis shows that the blood-brain barrier disruption and subsequent γ-immunoglobulin (IgG) extravasation facilitate the generation of CD9 hi microglia in an Fcγ receptor III-dependent manner. These findings demonstrate that the induction of synapse-engulfing CD9 hi microglia in the thalamus by IgG/FcγRIII signaling drives recognition memory deficits following cortical damage.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA",
    "Department of Mental Disorder Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan",
    "Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA",
    "Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA",
    "O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA",
    "Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Osaka, Osaka, Japan",
    "Department of Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA",
    "Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Engineering, Birmingham, AL, USA",
    "Department of Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA",
    "Department of Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA. sikano@uabmc.edu",
    "Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA. sikano@uabmc.edu"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 16,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Ken Matoba"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        0
      ],
      "name": "Takahiro Kochi",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-0353-8300"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Oluwaseun Fatoba",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-9046-3943"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Md Sorwer Alam Parvez",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-9726-1009"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Inssaf Berkiks",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6825-5523"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yassin Mreyoud",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-2747-3652"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Harrison Strong"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jana H. Badrani",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6479-7969"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Hency Patel"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Yoshiko Nagaoka-Kamata"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Masakazu Kamata",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-0323-3742"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Hiroshi Tsujioka",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-7484-4191"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Toshihide Yamashita",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4559-7018"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "David K. Crossman",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0981-169X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7,
        8,
        0
      ],
      "name": "Minae Niwa",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-8784-7815"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        9,
        10
      ],
      "name": "Shin‐ichi Kano",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-5171-3436"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bpa56qsxrpryx.bib",
  "cited_by": 6,
  "doi": "10.1038/s41467-026-74904-1",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "bpa56qsxrpryx",
  "issns": [
    "2041-1723"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-74904-1",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2808|Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7167807658",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": "PMC13228404",
  "pmid": "42239355",
  "published": "2026-07-09",
  "publisher": "Nature Portfolio",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bpa56qsxrpryx.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-04T13:21:11Z",
      "native_id": "W7167807658",
      "source": "openalex",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-74904-1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2808|Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms",
      "subfield": "neurology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "FcγR- and CD9-dependent synapse-engulfing microglia in the thalamus drive cognitive impairment following cortical brain damage in mice",
  "title_text": "FcγR- and CD9-dependent synapse-engulfing microglia in the thalamus drive cognitive impairment following cortical brain damage in mice",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-09T13:21:14Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bpa56qsxrpryx",
  "venue": "Nature Communications",
  "versions": []
}