Central nervous system regeneration is driven by microglia necroptosis and repopulation

Failed regeneration of central nervous system myelin contributes to clinical decline in neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases, for which there is an unmet therapeutic need. Here, we reveal that efficient remyelination requires death of pro-inflammatory microglia followed by repopulation to a pro-regenerative state. We propose that impaired microglia death and/or repopulation may underpin dysregulated microglia activation in neurological diseases, and reveal novel therapeutic targets to promote white matter regeneration.