Professor Long-Jun Wu and his lab are involved in research about understanding microglia-neuron communication in the brain. Microglia are the principal immune-response cells in the central nervous system. Intriguingly, microglia bear very motile processes which constantly survey the microenvironment in the normal brain. Upon brain dysfunction, microglia are activated and regulate neuronal activities. However, we know very little about how microglia sense and respond to neuronal signaling. An exciting possibility is that microglia communicate with neurons through ion channel mechanisms. In neuronal circuits, microglia are actively interact with synapse and might be critical for synaptic pruning and plasticity. More importantly, microglia are strongly activated in pathological conditions such as pain, epilepsy, stroke and neurodegeneration. The microglia-neuron communication is remarkably amplified under these disease conditions. However, the function of microglia in these neurological disorders are still largely unknown. Professor Long-Jun Wu and his lab are working on the role of microglia in normal and diseased brain. The results from their studies would advance the understanding of microglial function in the brain and provide therapeutic targets at microglia for the treatment of neurological disorders, such as pain, epilepsy, and stroke.