Wednesday, May 6, 2020

How A Parasite Can Rewire Your Brain

From IFL Science!:
"Mind-controlling parasites" might sound like the baddies from a straight-to-TV horror movie, but that's a fairly accurate description of Toxoplasma gondii. 

The single-celled organism is thought to be one of the most common parasites in the world, infecting up to 40 million people in the US, according to the CDC. While most infections are believed to be asymptomatic – and some research argues its effects are overstated – it has been linked to a wide variety of behavior changes in humans and other animals, including increased suicide rates, schizophrenia, and risk-taking behavior.

The parasite also infects most species of warm-blooded animals. In mice, for example, the parasitic infection is well known to cause a reduced fear of predators, such as cats. If the mouse is less scared, they’re more likely to get eaten and end up in the intestines of domestic cats, where the species tend to reproduce. 

But how can a microscopic organism have such a seemingly powerful grip on the brain?  (Read more.)
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