TARDBP and inflammatory response: Phagocytosis of degenerating neurons?: Functional microglia may prevent TDP-43 spread indirectly by phagocytosing degenerating neurons containing TDP-43,24 but there is no direct evidence that microglial phagocytosis actively blocks extracellular or axonal spreading of TDP-43 aggregates.Inflammation-induced aggregation?: LPS-induced microglial inflammation increases TDP-43 mislocalization from the nucleus to the cytoplasm and exacerbates its aggregation,183 which might potentially enhance prion-like seeding and spreading of TDP-43 aggregates.