Tangential, perhaps, to psychology, although the brain disorder issue is 
relevant, but correlation-causation is a frequent thread here. So see:

http://www.news-medical.net/?id=21890

and I tracked the original paper down to this:

Weintraub, S. et al (2006). Vasectomy in Men With Primary Progressive 
Aphasia. Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, 19(4):190-193, December
 [ http://tinyurl.com/yr67r4 abstract only unless you have $$$]

She does appropriately caution, "This is just a correlational 
observation", but the mechanism is plausible. As PPA is unlikely to cause 
vasectomy, either it's the other way around, or there's a third variable 
involved.  But who's going to volunteer for a randomized study? Heck, 
who's going to want to be vasectomized after this becomes known?

(Study aparently finds elevated chance of having had a vasectomy for men 
with PPA. I suppose we need to also know what the chance is of developing 
PPA after vasectomy. If it's really low, I guess those who have been so 
fixed can stop worrying). 

And in case women here don't think this relates to them, the final 
sentence of the abstract reads:

"Antisperm antibodies can also develop in women and become risk factors 
for PPA."


Stephen

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Stephen L. Black, Ph.D.          
Department of Psychology     
Bishop's University                e-mail:  [EMAIL PROTECTED]
2600 College St.
Sherbrooke QC  J1M 0C8
Canada

Dept web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy
TIPS discussion list for psychology teachers at
http://faculty.frostburg.edu/psyc/southerly/tips/index.htm
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