Figure 1.

Ionising radiation modulates inflammatory response in a healthy brain by altering microglial functional states. Low dose ionising radiation (left) may reduce the number of activated microglia, increasing antioxidants and anti-inflammatory cytokines and thus having a neuroprotective effect when compared to a control brain (middle). High dose ionising radiation (right) increases the number of activated microglia, which increases oxidants and pro-inflammatory cytokines, creating a neuroinflammatory state.