Microglia
Research has discovered dystrophic (defective development) human microglia. "These cells are characterized by abnormalities in their cytoplasmic structure, such as deramified, atrophic, fragmented or unusually tortuous processes, frequently bearing spheroidal or bulbous swellings." The incidence of dystrophic microglia increases with aging. Microglial degeneration and death have been reported in research on Prion disease, Schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease, indicating that microglial deterioration might be involved in neurodegenerative diseases. A complication of this theory is the fact that it is difficult to distinguish between "activated" and "dystrophic" microglia in the human brain.
Microplasma
In 1857, Werner von Siemens, a German scientist, originated
ozone generation using a dielectric barrier discharge apparatus for biological decontamination. His observations were explained without the knowledge of “microplasmas”, but were later recognized as the first use of microplasmas to date. The early electrical engineers, such as Edison and Tesla, were actually trying to prevent the generation of such "micro-discharges", and used dielectrics to insulate the first electrical infrastructures. Subsequent studies have observed the Paschen breakdown curve as being the prime cause of microplasma generation in an article published in 1916.