Human-specific SRGAP2 gene may slow microglial maturation to bolster cognition

Researchers at Columbia's Zuckerman Institute found that human-specific copies of SRGAP2 are much more abundant in microglia than in neurons and slow microglial maturation to about four to eight years (versus roughly three weeks in mice). This coordinated, neotenic timing between microglia and neurons may help explain the human brain's developmental pace and its advanced cognitive abilities, with implications for understanding brain development and disease.