Bone marrow transplants cures OCD-like condition in mice
May 28, 2010Posted in: OCD0 Comments
A very interesting article has been published in the Journal Cell today in which a team, led by the Nobel prizewinning geneticist M. Capecchi, found that experimental transplants in mice cured them of a disorder in which they groom themselves so excessively they develop bare patches of skin. The condition is similar to a disorder in which people pull their hair out, called trichotillomania.
The very fact that bone marrow can correct a behavioural defect is indeed a big surprise. This is the first work to reveal a direct link between a psychiatric disorder and faulty immune cells, which grow in bone marrow before moving to the brain to protect nerve cells from damage.
Although the condition the animals develop is comparable to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), it is still an animal model for OCD and we do not know if the disorder in humans follow the same mechanisms. However, it is possible that other illnesses including depression, schizophrenia and autism might also be linked to problems with the immune system, and this study could have profound implications for patients with psychiatric problems.
Needless to say, the cost and health risks associated with bone marrow transplants are such that they would never be used to treat mental health problems in people, but the findings will indeed inspire research into immune-based therapies for psychiatric disorders.
Link to the original article: http://www.cell.com/abstract/S0092-8674%2810%2900374-0
If any reader is interested in reading the original article, please contact me and I will be happy to provide it.
