For some mouse , lifetime produces anxiousness — where to cuddle , which handbag of cow dung to chew through , how to escape human catching . To manage with such crippling panic , these mouse neaten themselves so thoroughly and frequently that they lick off their fur . These rodent develop bald mend and sore over their bodies . Even in pain , the mouse salt lick and licks .
investigator , led by 2007 Nobel dirty money success for medicine , Mario Capecchi , find that with a bone marrow transplant , the micestop their obsessive - determined behaviorsand live normal lives . Capecchi says this shows a strong connection between the immune system and genial illness .
Capecchi bred the mice with a mutationHoxb8 , open them the equivalent of human OCD.Hoxb8originates in microglia , which are resistant cells . Most would take on that neurologic cells would control behavioral ticks and the group was surprised to find out otherwise . The mutant mice also had 15 percent fewerHoxb8than unconstipated mice . To examineHoxb8 ’s outcome , the investigator throw in bone marrow from mice with mutantHoxb8mice into healthy mice . The healthy mouse start licking themselves obsessively , displume out their fur and creating sore . In turn , the researchers inject the mutant mouse with respectable ivory marrow , and these mice became non - obsessional .
Even though osseous tissue bone marrow transplants possess too many risk to make it a feasible handling for OCD , Capecchi allege this discernment might help researchers develop drug that regulate microglia — perhaps supply better treatment for OCD .
