Gene blocker turns monkeys into workaholics

[T Bone]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5673747/

WASHINGTON - Procrastinating monkeys were turned into workaholics using a gene treatment to block a key brain compound, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday.

...gene knockdown triggered a remarkable transformation in the simian work ethic. Like many of us, monkeys normally slack off initially ...

Monkeys and humans both tend to wait until the last possible minute to finish up the work, and become very adept at estimating how long they have.

Blocking cells from receiving dopamine made the monkeys work harder at a task — and they were better at it, too, the U.S. government researchers found.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5673747/

At least Bush is using our tax money to find a way to improve HIS* and FU's miserable work ethic.

[WillyT]

1. I Wonder When They'll Start Putting It In The Water Supply ???

Corporate America wants to know!!!

:shrug:

[Steven_S]

3. My first thought, too...

The flouride of the future.

I'm glad I won't be here.

[Bozita]

2. The "Walmart Gene" -- coming soon to everybody's neighborhood

[NeoConsSuck]

4. Could we give this gene treatment..

to our 'vacation' pResident?

[clydefrand]

5. Do you think this could get Bush off his butt to do something

constructive for this country?? Naw...it said it blocked a key brain compound. That leaves him out fer shurrrrrrrrrrrr!

[mom cat]

6. So this is how they plan to improve productivity! Scary!

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

7. ha ha we'll work so hard

we'll overthrow the establishment. we'll be unstoppable.

[daleo]

8. With hard-working, productive monkeys, who needs people?

Corporations will just have to be careful about letting ambitious chimps wield too much power.

[Ready4Change]

15. Too late.

Ones already in office.

But judging from his vacation schedule, he could use another shot.

[Snow]

9. Hmmm, dopamine - so you give a SDRI instead of an SSRI

(Selective Dopamine Reuptake Inhibitor) and you get workaholics who then develop Parkinson's Disease? Are people with Parkinson's workaholics? In my somewhat limited experience, lots of them do tend to be conservative, dutiful people (google "parkinson personality"). But maybe this leaves a ton of circulating dopamine - so instead you get the dopamine excess condition, ie schizophrenia? Hard workers with hallucinations instead of tremors? Fascinating, all this.

[LisaL]

11. it's hard to be workaholic on Parkinson's

Parkinson's give people the shakes.
How are you going to be workaholic if you shake a lot?

[Snow]

20. You'd be surprised....

I'm currently co-authoring a paper on garden soil minerals and their association with Parkinson's Disease, and the first author is an entomologist who is a professor at land grant university, is a workaholic, and has Parkinson's.

In case you're interested, we show some evidence of an association of iron & manganese in the soil of the garden where people grow food that they eat for at least 10 years with Parkinson's Disease. But it's too small & too early to say for sure that we've nailed a risk factor. Verrrry interesting, though.

[LisaL]

27. I know what Parkinson's is

My father has Parkinsons.
It didn't turn him into workaholic though. It's hard for him to do things because of the shakes.

[Snow]

28. Right. I didn't mean to imply ignorance on your part,

and it can be a very frustrating disease, especially for people who use their hands a lot. I wish we understood it better, and if you'll pardon what might come across as a lack of empathy, I find it a fascinating puzzle. The whole bit about pesticides might turn out to be due to these soil minerals instead.

But you might find it interesting to look up 'parkinson personality'.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

12. Surprise, Wellbutrin is an SDRI

Wellbutrin is a Selective Dopamine Reuptake Inhibitor, the only one listed at this site:

http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/treatments/drugs/bupropion.htm

[Snow]

21. I am surprised....

I didn't know that. Hmmm. So, do folks on Zyban get super busy? Does that keep them from doingthe post-smoking weight gain thing?

[NickB79]

23. That explains it

I was put on that one and a half yrs ago to treat a long-running history of depression, and it was amazing how my energy levels shot up. Me, who before needed at least 9 hrs of sleep per night just to function, was getting by on only 6 with no problems. My finals for my senior year of college never went by more smoothly, either. It was a Godsend at the time, after living with depression for so long.

Unfortunately, after two weeks I began to develop a rash on my hands and feet that then spread up to my torso. I was having an allergic reaction to the Wellbutrin, so I had to go off of it. I must say though, that was by far the best anti-depressant I had ever taken.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

10. It's an Injection and works for a couple of weeks (for now)

Here's the press release:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/08/040811080249.htm

[SoCalDem]

13. Who is Gene Blocker, and why is he so mean to his monkeys??

[Jack_DeLeon]

14. So when does testing begin on...

Shrub?

[ElsewheresDaughter]

16. do NOT inject the monkey in the White House!!!

[KurtNYC]

17. WTH does a monkey have to procrastinate doing?

Are they doing book reports?! Do monkeys wait until April 14 to start their taxes or something? Were they doing their Spanish homework during Homeroom?

[niceperson]

25. when monkeys work in a lab

They generally have a set period (about an hour a day) when they are supposed to be working. They earn treats (juice or candy) during the time that they are working. often monkeys goof off for about 55 minutes and then work hard the last 5 minutes of candy rewards. Kind of like workers who goof off all year then work really hard before bonus time. Being able to anticipate reward is a dopamine dependent ability. Not having dopamine means they just work mechanically at the same rate. So they're not necessarily better workers, just more consistent ones

[AngryAmish]

18. Pray for Mojo!

[allemand]

19. That does mean that laziness gives you an evolutionary advantage !

I always knew it.

;-)

[jackieforthedems]

22. So When They Get Sick Of Outsourcing

So when they get sick of outsourcing American jobs, they can down size some more and use monkeys now - I suppose that's next?!?

[okieinpain]

24. hahahahahaha, were here comes the next wave of profits for

the rich. deluted meth for the american worker, not only will he work harder, but he will be so high he won't even ask for a check. now that will get the corporations to come back to america.

[enki23]

26. right. and it probably did it by making them unable to judge time as well

they worked harder at their tasks, perhaps, but why they did is another question entirely.