Dorothy P. Schafer

Schafer has studied the phagocytic function of microglia, which is required for synaptic pruning of the connections between the retina and the lateral geniculate nucleus, as well as other highly organized pathways in the healthy central nervous system. The pruning ability of microglia is dependent on complement component 3.[3] Schafer's current research includes ablating genes of interest in microglia to determine their effects on synaptic structure as well as behavior.[1]

Microglial cytokine signaling also modulates synaptic function by regulating neurotransmitter receptor expression, which can directly impact neurotransmission.[4] Alongside Beth Stevens, Schafer has proposed an expansion to the tripartite synapse model of neural function called the quad-partite synapse.[5]

Microglia are implicated in the development of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases such as autism, schizophrenia, ALS, and MS. In a MECP2-null mouse model of Rett syndrome, Schafer demonstrated that microglia contributed to disease by excessively pruning presynaptic inputs, thereby disrupting vulnerable neural circuits.[6] Microglia functioned primarily as "secondary responders" which were excessively activated by disease, a mechanism which may be conserved in other models of neurodegeneration like Alzheimer's disease.