Mario Capecchi Frontiers of Science Nov 13, 2018

The University of Utah’s Nobel Laureate, Mario Capecchi, Distinguished Professor of Biology and Human Genetics, will present a Frontiers of Science lecture on Tuesday, November 13 on campus.

The presentation, “The Role of Microglia in OCD Spectrum Disorders,” will begin at 6 o’clock in the Aline Wilmot Skaggs Biology building, located near the University Bookstore. The event is free and open to the public.

In his talk, Capecchi will discuss modeling of a neuropsychiatric disorder – obsessive compulsive (OCD) spectrum disorder – in the mouse. His analysis provides the unexpected conclusion that microglia – immune cells in the brain – normally control specific brain circuits, and that defective microglia results in aberrant behavior very similar to the human OCD spectrum disorder known as trichotillomania.