Barbering in mice: a model for trichotillomania

Kurien, T senior research scientist
Gross, Tim senior research assistant
Scofield, R Hal associate member

Arthritis and Immunology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, 825 NE 13th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA Biji

Correspondence to: B T Kurien [email protected]

We thank Judith A James for supplying the mice shown in the photograph and Yaser Dorri for his help with the photography. Contributors: Animal immunisation studies were carried out by BTK and RHS with TG's assistance. The manuscript was written by BTK and approved by RHS and TG.

Funding: This work was supported by NIH grant ARO1844 awarded to RHS and by funding from the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology to RHS and BTK. Competing interests: None declared.

Ethical approval: The animal immunisation experiments described in the manuscript were approved by the Institutional Review Board.

BMJ 331(7531):p 1503-1505, December 24, 2005.

Barbering (excessive grooming causing hair loss) in mice resembles trichotillomania (uncontrollable hair pulling) in humans in several respects and may be a useful model of trichotillomania, especially for investigating the complex genetic and environmental interactions