Comments on: Science Tuesday: OCD Mice and the Nature of Fear http://www.chrisdellavedova.com/2007/08/28/science-tuesday-ocd-mice-and-the-nature-of-fear/ An American Expatriate -Upside Down Down Under Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:10:34 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: jams o donnell http://www.chrisdellavedova.com/2007/08/28/science-tuesday-ocd-mice-and-the-nature-of-fear/comment-page-1/#comment-503 jams o donnell Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:06:25 +0000 http://www.chrisdellavedova.com/2007/08/28/science-tuesday-ocd-mice-and-the-nature-of-fear/#comment-503 Fascinating articles Chris. I did my BSc in Physiology and Biochemistry back in the 80s but I never worked in the field. Things have certainly moved on! Fascinating articles Chris. I did my BSc in Physiology and Biochemistry back in the 80s but I never worked in the field. Things have certainly moved on!

]]> By: sarala http://www.chrisdellavedova.com/2007/08/28/science-tuesday-ocd-mice-and-the-nature-of-fear/comment-page-1/#comment-491 sarala Wed, 29 Aug 2007 22:22:00 +0000 http://www.chrisdellavedova.com/2007/08/28/science-tuesday-ocd-mice-and-the-nature-of-fear/#comment-491 I'm not used to learning the latest on what is one of my clinical specialties from a blogger. Thanks for the update on the mouse model of OCD. The lack of good animal models for most mental illnesses makes it very hard to study them at the biochemical level. And in general it has been very hard to isolate candidate genes for mental illnesses. If you are a plant geneticist you probably understand the issues: most are polygenetic phenomena with incomplete penetrance, we don't have clear enough criteria to determine if we are dealing with one illness genetically or multiple illnesses with similar phenotypes and so on. The question, can one have a little OCD? Not by technical definition but many people are just a little obsessive or compulsive and just live with it. Anyone who checks overzealously that the stove or iron is turned off or that the door is locked is a little compulsive. In my clinical experience, many relatives of people with OCD have anxiety of various sorts. Anyway good work! Hope your science writing flourishes. By the way, I studied yeast genetics in grad school a century or two ago. I’m not used to learning the latest on what is one of my clinical specialties from a blogger. Thanks for the update on the mouse model of OCD. The lack of good animal models for most mental illnesses makes it very hard to study them at the biochemical level. And in general it has been very hard to isolate candidate genes for mental illnesses. If you are a plant geneticist you probably understand the issues: most are polygenetic phenomena with incomplete penetrance, we don’t have clear enough criteria to determine if we are dealing with one illness genetically or multiple illnesses with similar phenotypes and so on.
The question, can one have a little OCD? Not by technical definition but many people are just a little obsessive or compulsive and just live with it. Anyone who checks overzealously that the stove or iron is turned off or that the door is locked is a little compulsive. In my clinical experience, many relatives of people with OCD have anxiety of various sorts.
Anyway good work! Hope your science writing flourishes.
By the way, I studied yeast genetics in grad school a century or two ago.

]]> By: Jim http://www.chrisdellavedova.com/2007/08/28/science-tuesday-ocd-mice-and-the-nature-of-fear/comment-page-1/#comment-467 Jim Wed, 29 Aug 2007 13:47:04 +0000 http://www.chrisdellavedova.com/2007/08/28/science-tuesday-ocd-mice-and-the-nature-of-fear/#comment-467 Hello Sinead -- That was so interesting! I have an interest in OCD, can you have just 'a touch' of OCD? I've heard not. What impressed me here is the 'deletion of genes' (Sapap3 here). I was--from a lay person standpoint--aware of gene identification, and even isolation to some extent. But not the deletion part. Doesn't every bit of tissue, or a very large amout of it, have the genes of which a being consists? Obviously they won't strain out. And I doubt if they could be killed. Oh well, I'm glad those injected will attach to the flourescent protein for tracing. I also feel that the amount of 'planning' in anticipation of danger is in proportion to intelligence levels. Almost as an instinct, I worry and plan, maybe even scheme. I was runner up city chess champion in my college days, I believe ability at chess is in proportion to this skill and again possible intelligence levels in some 'planning' area. Enough of this, I will return for more reading of your scientific--lay person oriented--writings. I came in response to Wordless Wednesday but my eye sure caught this post. Now I will go back to simple things like pictures. I WW on http://jimmiehov6.blogspot.com/ and post short pictorial pieces there. My character shows through in my primary blog, almost two years old now, at http://jimmiehov.blogspot.com/. The second one is temporarily on hold now as we are preparing for a two week holiday in Scotland and Isle of Man. Thanks again for this writing. .. Hello Sinead — That was so interesting! I have an interest in OCD, can you have just ‘a touch’ of OCD? I’ve heard not.
What impressed me here is the ‘deletion of genes’ (Sapap3 here). I was–from a lay person standpoint–aware of gene identification, and even isolation to some extent. But not the deletion part.
Doesn’t every bit of tissue, or a very large amout of it, have the genes of which a being consists? Obviously they won’t strain out. And I doubt if they could be killed.
Oh well, I’m glad those injected will attach to the flourescent protein for tracing.

I also feel that the amount of ‘planning’ in anticipation of danger is in proportion to intelligence levels. Almost as an instinct, I worry and plan, maybe even scheme. I was runner up city chess champion in my college days, I believe ability at chess is in proportion to this skill and again possible intelligence levels in some ‘planning’ area.

Enough of this, I will return for more reading of your scientific–lay person oriented–writings.
I came in response to Wordless Wednesday but my eye sure caught this post. Now I will go back to simple things like pictures.

I WW on http://jimmiehov6.blogspot.com/ and post short pictorial pieces there. My character shows through in my primary blog, almost two years old now, at http://jimmiehov.blogspot.com/.
The second one is temporarily on hold now as we are preparing for a two week holiday in Scotland and Isle of Man.

Thanks again for this writing.
..

]]> By: Sinead http://www.chrisdellavedova.com/2007/08/28/science-tuesday-ocd-mice-and-the-nature-of-fear/comment-page-1/#comment-453 Sinead Wed, 29 Aug 2007 07:14:28 +0000 http://www.chrisdellavedova.com/2007/08/28/science-tuesday-ocd-mice-and-the-nature-of-fear/#comment-453 I had none, which Chris was unimpressed by! I couldn't remember any neurobiology! Pretty bad really! I had none, which Chris was unimpressed by! I couldn’t remember any neurobiology! Pretty bad really!

]]> By: Jason http://www.chrisdellavedova.com/2007/08/28/science-tuesday-ocd-mice-and-the-nature-of-fear/comment-page-1/#comment-449 Jason Wed, 29 Aug 2007 03:03:22 +0000 http://www.chrisdellavedova.com/2007/08/28/science-tuesday-ocd-mice-and-the-nature-of-fear/#comment-449 Wow, I must say that I'm surprised to see you talking about neuroscience. Good job with the description, perhaps you should have gone into neuroscience instead of plant genetics? Or perhaps I should ask how much influence Sinead had on this post. Wow, I must say that I’m surprised to see you talking about neuroscience. Good job with the description, perhaps you should have gone into neuroscience instead of plant genetics? Or perhaps I should ask how much influence Sinead had on this post.

]]> By: Harlekwin http://www.chrisdellavedova.com/2007/08/28/science-tuesday-ocd-mice-and-the-nature-of-fear/comment-page-1/#comment-447 Harlekwin Tue, 28 Aug 2007 16:10:17 +0000 http://www.chrisdellavedova.com/2007/08/28/science-tuesday-ocd-mice-and-the-nature-of-fear/#comment-447 Wow, Chris! This was fascinating and very timely as well. Please do continue with this series. btw... people have told me I'm a bit OCD too. I've wondered why the need to compartmentalize my drive and creativity ended up with that label. Wow, Chris! This was fascinating and very timely as well. Please do continue with this series.

btw… people have told me I’m a bit OCD too. I’ve wondered why the need to compartmentalize my drive and creativity ended up with that label.

]]> By: Alex http://www.chrisdellavedova.com/2007/08/28/science-tuesday-ocd-mice-and-the-nature-of-fear/comment-page-1/#comment-445 Alex Tue, 28 Aug 2007 13:22:42 +0000 http://www.chrisdellavedova.com/2007/08/28/science-tuesday-ocd-mice-and-the-nature-of-fear/#comment-445 Nice writing, Chris. The latter article and tests remind me of the death-alternative test of human awareness in Dune that the Bene Gesserit use to seperate animals from humans in Frank Herbert's Dune. When Paul Atredies takes the test he chants the Bene Gesserit Littainy against Fear: "I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." Nice writing, Chris.
The latter article and tests remind me of the death-alternative test of human awareness in Dune that the Bene Gesserit use to seperate animals from humans in Frank Herbert’s Dune. When Paul Atredies takes the test he chants the Bene Gesserit Littainy against Fear:

“I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.”

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