...
It took months, but the effects were obvious and enormous. All of the
mice displayed far more normal grooming habits; four of the mice were
completely cured, while the other six healed a lot of their wounds and
regrew substantial portions of their hair. The team also tried all the
other possible combinations - normal mice given mutant marrow started
showing obsessive-compulsive data, normal mice given normal marrow
showed no change, and mutant mice given mutant marrow exhibited extreme
self-mutilation and sometimes died from their self-inflicted wounds.
Previous studies have managed to link the immune system with mental
illness, but this is the first time a clear cause-and-effect link has
been demonstrated in which a problem in the immune system directly
affects the proper functioning of the mind. Still, while Capecchi and
his colleagues think similar treatments work for humans, they don't
expect to see bone marrow transplants become a common way to treat
psychiatric disorders. They are among the most painful types of medical
procedures and are typically only used to help treat life-threatening
illnesses.
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