# An astrocyte-microglia MFG-E8 axis promotes synapse engulfment in early amyloid pathology

Source: [cell.com](https://www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(26)00807-X?rss=yes) · 2026-11-09 · Mind
Page: https://themorning.science/story/an-astrocyte-microglia-mfg-e8-axis-promotes-synapse-engulfment-in-early-amyloid-39221683850c7bcc
Kind: research · Impact: medium

## In brief

- Study identifies a regional perisynaptic astrocyte state in early amyloid pathology.
- Astrocyte-derived MFG-E8 promotes microglial synapse engulfment via β3 integrin.
- Early synapse loss tracks cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease.

## Why it matters

Synapse loss is an early correlate of cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease, and this work points to a specific astrocyte-to-microglia signalling pathway that drives it, which could be a target for future interventions.

## Timeline

- 2026-11-09: Study published in Neuron (cell.com)

## Coverage

- [An astrocyte-microglia MFG-E8 axis promotes synapse engulfment in early amyloid pathology](https://www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(26)00807-X?rss=yes) — cell.com, 2026-11-09

Tags: alzheimers, astrocytes, microglia, synapse-loss, amyloid

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Brief generated by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the reporting listed under Coverage. Headlines belong to their publishers. The Morning Science – https://themorning.science