Bone marrow transplants cure mental illness – in mice

[Ed Barrow]

Scientists in the US claim to have used a bone marrow transplant to cure mental illness in a study that could have profound implications for patients with psychiatric problems.

Bone marrow transplants are routinely used to treat leukaemia and other life-threatening diseases, but have never been used to treat mental health problems.

The team, led by a Nobel prizewinning geneticist, 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.

"A lot of people are going to find it amazing," said Mario Capecchi at the University of Utah, who won the Nobel prize for medicine in 2007 for his work on mouse genetics. "That's the surprise: bone marrow can correct a behavioural defect."


http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/may/27/bone-marrow-transplants-mental-illness

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. This is interesting. I have ulcerative colitis and am bipolar, and was told that the two

seem to come together fairly often. I have also been told that colitis may well be an immune issue. It would be interesting if the bipolar is too, and really cool if they could both be treated with the same thing.

But this study is in its infancy, so who knows what they will actually find out in the future? :shrug:

[mopinko]

7. my daughter has chron's and also trichotillomania

as well as some other clearly autoimmune oddities. she's ready for a reboot, and i could use one, too. several bipolars in the family, also.

[Ilsa]

2. I wonder if it could be studied with respect to autism. nt

[mzmolly]

4. I bet so.

:shrug:

[Odin2005]

6. Autisim isn't a mental illness, it's a developmental neurological syndrome

[mzmolly]

3. Woah. K and R.

:wow:

[Warpy]

5. People aren't mice

but a bone marrow transplant requires an overwhelming shock to the physical body, bringing it close to death before the new marrow is injected. Physical shocks can affect mental health, usually adversely, occasionally positively as in the case of shock treatments for severe depression.

There are enough bone marrow recipients out there to be able to do an epidemiological study on mental health changes. My guess is that human recipients would be more prone to PTSD after the procedure than suddenly developing mental health.