{"database":"biostudies-literature","file_versions":[],"scores":null,"additional":{"submitter":["Van Deren DA"],"funding":["U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | National Institutes of Health (NIH)","Dauten Family Foundation","U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | National Institutes of Health"],"pagination":["915-928"],"full_dataset_link":["https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12815679"],"repository":["biostudies-literature"],"omics_type":["Unknown"],"volume":["31(2)"],"pubmed_abstract":["Disruption of the Hoxb8 gene results in chronic anxiety and pathological overgrooming in mice. Using bilateral intracerebral cell transplantation, we demonstrate that mutant Hoxb8 microglia are causative for both behaviors. Mice contain two microglia lineages, Hoxb8 and non-Hoxb8 microglia. We proposed that the two lineages work as a binary system, in opposition to each other with Hoxb8 microglia functioning to reduce anxiety and grooming (function as brakes), whereas non-Hoxb8 microglia increase the levels of both behaviors (function as accelerators). This model makes a strong, unexpected prediction: mice containing only wild-type canonical non-Hoxb8 microglia should exhibit pathological levels of grooming and anxiety. We demonstrate that this is the case, providing strong support for bot"],"journal":["Molecular psychiatry"],"pubmed_title":["Defective Hoxb8 microglia are causative for both chronic anxiety and pathological overgrooming in mice."],"pmcid":["PMC12815679"],"funding_grant_id":["RO1 MH093595"],"pubmed_authors":["Van Deren DA","Nagarajan N","Xu B","Boulet AM","Capecchi MR","Zhang S"],"additional_accession":[]},"is_claimable":false,"name":"Defective Hoxb8 microglia are causative for both chronic anxiety and pathological overgrooming in mice.","description":"Disruption of the Hoxb8 gene results in chronic anxiety and pathological overgrooming in mice. Using bilateral intracerebral cell transplantation, we demonstrate that mutant Hoxb8 microglia are causative for both behaviors. Mice contain two microglia lineages, Hoxb8 and non-Hoxb8 microglia. We proposed that the two lineages work as a binary system, in opposition to each other with Hoxb8 microglia functioning to reduce anxiety and grooming (function as brakes), whereas non-Hoxb8 microglia increase the levels of both behaviors (function as accelerators). This model makes a strong, unexpected prediction: mice containing only wild-type canonical non-Hoxb8 microglia should exhibit pathological levels of grooming and anxiety. We demonstrate that this is the case, providing strong support for bot","dates":{"release":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z","publication":"2026 Feb","modification":"2026-06-12T05:08:44.651Z","creation":"2026-06-12T03:08:01.922Z"},"accession":"S-EPMC12815679","cross_references":{"pubmed":["40897864"],"doi":["10.1038/s41380-025-03190-y"]}}