OCD mice?

[SoCalDem]

Do they clean your kitchen while you sleep? They can come to MY house anytime :)

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Mice yield clues on obsessive-compulsive disorder
story here
by Marlowe Hood 1 hour, 30 minutes ago

PARIS (AFP) - Scientists have stumbled on a mouse gene which, when disabled, provokes behaviour similar to the anguishing human condition known as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), according to a study released Wednesday.

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The discovery suggests new strategies for treating the disorder, which affects nearly two percent of the world's population, more than 100 million people. Famous sufferers include 18th-century English writer Samuel Johnson, American magnate Howard Hughes, and -- by his own admission -- celebrity footballer David Beckham, who said he obsessively stacked up cans of soft drinks.

A team of researchers led by Duke University molecular geneticist Guoping Feng discovered the link between the gene, known as SAPAP3, and compulsive behaviour by accident while conducting basic research on the striatum, a portion of the brain that controls the planning and execution of movement.

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As a result, the mice engaged in compulsive grooming until their faces were raw, and also exhibited anxiety-like behaviour, hiding in corners and hesitating to take risks. But when the gene was switched back on, "the synaptic defects were repaired and their OCD-like behaviours subsided," Feng said. The researchers also found that a class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, also used to alleviate the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder, worked almost as well, establishing an even stronger link to humans.

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"Sufferers are anxious because they cannot be sure the door is locked, the gas has been turned off, or that they are free of deadly microbes," a fear that leads to the emblematic symptom of continuous hand-washing.
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[smokey nj]

1. I think one of my cats has OCD. He has a ritual that he performs before he lays down.

He kneads for a bit, then he walks around in a circle a few times, and then after a bit more kneading he finally lays down. If he's touched at any point during this process, he will start again from the beginning. Unfortunately, he doesn't clean my house. :( It would be great if he did, hell I'd love it even if he just cleaned the litter boxes.

[SoCalDem]

2. I have TWO drooling kneaders..

They even have a favorite blankie they knead..

another one's nose runs while he kneads..:rofl:

[smokey nj]

3. A runny-nosed kneader?

:rofl: That must be funny to watch.
At least they knead blankies. Peanut, the kitty in my avatar, just loves to knead my hair and occasionally, I wind up with a claw in my scalp.