Microglia are increasingly implicated in the signalling cascades leading to neuronal death in a large number of neuroinflammatory diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and also in acute conditions such as those following stroke. Using cell based systems, we are investigating signalling cascades which occur in microglia following their exposure to substances implicated in their activation in particular neurodegenerative diseases. Our aim is to dissect out the pathways of neuronal death which result from microglial activation