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Targeting Genes to Understand Behavior
In the 1980’s, geneticist Mario Capecchi pioneered a technique called “gene targeting” that allowed scientists to find a specific gene and change it in mice. Now Dr. Capecchi has won a 2007 Nobel Prize in Medicine.
Physical attributes like hair color and skin tone can be traced to the expression of certain genes in our DNA. But, what about behavior? As reporter Sheri Quinn finds, researchers at the University of Utah may have discovered a genetic link to obsessive compulsive disorder, based on the work of this year’s Nobel Prize for Medicine winner, Dr. Mario Capecchi.