Role of myeloid cells in neural repair after brain tissue injury

Stroke and traumatic brain injury leave many survivors with permanent neurological disabilities, and the development of therapeutics to enhance functional recovery is needed. Both residential and infiltrating immune cells participate in the acute inflammation after brain injury, exacerbating functional outcomes; however, some immune cells have been reported to alter their characteristic to a reparative phenotype. This review focused on the recent findings of the reparative immunity of myeloid cells. Functional recovery after injury is achieved through the combination of resolution of inflammation, reorganization of neuronal network, white matter repair, angiogenesis and extracellular matrix reorganization. In each process, myeloid cells play vital roles in leading to functional recovery. Further research on the diversity of immune cells implicated in neural repair will be promising to develop therapeutics enhancing functional recovery after brain tissue injuries.