ΔFosB

[plumbus-nine]

ΔFosB overexpression in the dorsal striatum (nigrostriatal dopamine pathway) via viral vectors generates levodopa-induced dyskinesia in animal models of Parkinson's disease.[11][12] Dorsal striatal ΔFosB is overexpressed in rodents and primates with dyskinesias;[12] moreover, postmortem studies of individuals with Parkinson's disease that were treated with levodopa have also observed similar dorsal striatal ΔFosB overexpression.[12]

from wikipedia

So it would be possible to do the opposite, use viral vectors to abolish ΔFosB expression and prevent / protect against long-term dopamine changes? Always thought it wasn't (yet) possible to change genetics in a living being ... but then we have the possibility of "vaccinations" to e.g. downregulate SERT/DAT, or whatever receptors?

Some years ago I've read a book about "biohacking" (in German), they didn't go into detail unfortunately and the processes were pretty basic but still things like glowing plants - might it even be possible now, or in near future, for skilled hobbyists to create such a vector for e.g. reducing DeltaFosB?

What functions does it have besides causing nasty long term stuff / is it actually good for something (knowing that most stuff in biology isn't as simple as good or bad)?

 

[Nagelfar]

…Always thought it wasn't (yet) possible to change genetics in a living being ...

I'm pretty sure they can use CRISPR—CAS-9 in such a way, because it targets genes like a virus and replaces them in vivo, has been used on living patient's. For example injected directly into the eyes of the blind:

CRISPR treatment inserted directly into the body for first time

 

[Skorpio]

What functions does it have

The Wikipedia article says it is involved in (non-pathological) reward processing, stress tolerance, and bone cell differentiation.

Transcription factors are generally pretty pleiotropic, with different effects around the body. The thought of globally "antagonizing" a transcription factor is absurd to me (absurd as in it really makes me feel like people who say this have a fundamentally different understanding of cell biology than I do).

Delta fosb is most commonly seen as both a marker and driver of addiction, but I would be wary of generalizing too much. Addiction is a topic that gets a lot of funding, so the large percentage of delta fosb papers regarding some aspect of addiction could very well be a result of funding.

 

[Nagelfar]

CRISPR—CAS-9 might be helpful but i heard some problem with it

Scientists Used CRISPR to Engineer a New ‘Superbug’ That’s Invincible to All Viruses

↑“speak of the devil” as the aphorism goes…