斯坦福大学研究人员发现，免疫细胞在人类衰老过程中从血液大量进入脑部，并转化为脑部专门的免疫细胞微胶质细胞[1]。这一发现推翻了长期以来关于脑部免疫系统与身体其他部分隔离的假设，同时表明这种现象早至中年时期就已开始发生[1]。
研究人员通过追踪DNA突变作为生物标记来确定免疫细胞的来源[1]。论文第一作者Julia Belk表示，"这是我们之前完全不了解的人类衰老特征"[1]。该研究成果已发表在《自然》杂志，于2026年8月14日由斯坦福大学发布[1]。研究样本来自斯坦福快速尸检中心和华盛顿大学阿尔茨海默病测序项目[1]，研究得到Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience部分资助[1]。Siddhartha Jaiswal和Howard Chang为共同资深作者[1]。
Stanford University researchers have discovered that substantial numbers of immune cells migrate from the bloodstream into the brain during aging and subsequently transform into microglia, the brain's specialized immune cells.[1] This finding challenges the long-held assumption that the brain's immune system operates in isolation from the rest of the body.[1] The process begins as early as middle age,[1] and appears to be a uniquely human characteristic of aging.[1]
The research, published in Nature on August 14, 2026, employed DNA mutations as biological markers to trace the origin of immune cells.[1] Lead author Julia Belk explained the methodology: "If we see the same mutations in the blood and in the brain's microglia, then we can be very confident that immune cells in the brain are descendants of those immune cells in the blood."[1] Belk further noted, "This is a uniquely human feature of aging that we had no idea about."[1] The study involved contributions from Siddhartha Jaiswal and Howard Chang as co-senior authors.[1]
The research drew samples from the Stanford Rapid Autopsy Center and the University of Washington Alzheimer's Disease Sequencing Project.[1] The work received partial support from the Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience.[1]