A bone to pick with compulsive behavior.

Hyman, Steven E · Cell · 2010

basic_science · Level V

Where this comes from

Abstract

Mice with mutations in the Hoxb8 gene exhibit compulsive grooming behavior. Chen et al. (2010) now report that this behavior stems from Hoxb8 deficiency in microglia, a type of immune cell in the brain derived from bone marrow. These findings provide intriguing connections between immune dysfunction and neuropsychiatric disorders.