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STROKE

Retinoid X receptor mediates brain clean-up after stroke

Nature Reviews Neurology volume 16, pages 128–129 (2020)Cite this article

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Optimal recovery after stroke requires clearance of dead cells and cell debris from the brain by microglia and blood-derived macrophages — collectively termed microglia/macrophages or MΦ. According to new research led by Jaroslaw Aronowski at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, USA, this process is mediated by retinoid X receptor-α (RXRα), and the findings suggest that this molecule represents a promising therapeutic target.

To investigate the role of RXRα in brain clean-up and stroke recovery, the researchers used in vitro MΦ cultures and a mouse model of ischaemic stroke. The in vitro experiments revealed that loss of RXRα impaired the ability of MΦ to phagocytose dead neurons. In addition, mice with selective deletion of the RXRα gene in MΦ — termed Mac-RXRα–/– mice — showed greater progression of brain atrophy and poorer functional recovery after stroke than their wild-type counterparts, despite similar initial infarct sizes.

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Change history

  • 14 February 2020

    This article has been modified to update Jaroslaw Aronowski’s affiliation from ‘University of Texas’ to ‘University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston’.

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  • Hu, X. et al. Microglial and macrophage polarization — new prospects for brain repair. Nat. Rev. Neurol. 11, 56–64 (2015)

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  1. Nature Reviews Neuroscience http://www.nature.com/nrn/

    Heather Wood

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  1. Heather Wood
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Correspondence to Heather Wood.

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Wood, H. Retinoid X receptor mediates brain clean-up after stroke. Nat Rev Neurol 16, 128–129 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41582-020-0315-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41582-020-0315-9

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