Toxoplasma Gondii Infection, from Predation to Schizophrenia: Can Animal Behaviour Help Us Understand Human Behaviour?

Overview

Journal J Exp Biol

Specialty Biology

Date 2012 Dec 11

PMID 23225872

Citations 60

Authors

Joanne P Webster

Maya Kaushik

Greg C Bristow

Glenn A McConkey

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

We examine the role of the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii as a manipulatory parasite and question what role study of infections in its natural intermediate rodent hosts and other secondary hosts, including humans, may elucidate in terms of the epidemiology, evolution and clinical applications of infection. In particular, we focus on the potential association between T. gondii and schizophrenia. We introduce the novel term 'T. gondii-rat manipulation-schizophrenia model' and propose how future behavioural research on this model should be performed from a biological, clinical and ethically appropriate perspective.

Citing Articles

The human alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor is a host target for the rabies virus glycoprotein.

OBrien B, Thao S, Weber L, Danielson H, Boldt A, Hueffer K Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2024; 14:1394713.

PMID: 38836054 PMC: 11148329. DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1394713.

Bat-associated microbes: Opportunities and perils, an overview.

Dhivahar J, Parthasarathy A, Krishnan K, Kovi B, Pandian G Heliyon. 2023; 9(12):e22351.

PMID: 38125540 PMC: 10730444. DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22351.

Changes in the Proliferation of the Neural Progenitor Cells of Adult Mice Chronically Infected with .

Anaya-Martinez V, Anacleto-Santos J, Mondragon-Flores R, Zepeda-Rodriguez A, Casarrubias-Tabarez B, Lopez-Perez T Microorganisms. 2023; 11(11).

PMID: 38004683 PMC: 10673519. DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11112671.

Berberine improves inhibitory avoidance memory impairment of Toxoplasma gondii-infected rat model of ketamine-induced schizophrenia.

Gholizadeh N, Dalimi A, Ghaffarifar F, Nader-Mohammadi M, Molavi P, Dadkhah M BMC Complement Med Ther. 2023; 23(1):303.

PMID: 37649038 PMC: 10469906. DOI: 10.1186/s12906-023-04107-4.

Maternal immune activation as an epidemiological risk factor for neurodevelopmental disorders: Considerations of timing, severity, individual differences, and sex in human and rodent studies.

Hall M, Willis D, Rodriguez E, Schwarz J Front Neurosci. 2023; 17:1135559.

PMID: 37123361 PMC: 10133487. DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1135559.

References

Barch D, Csernansky J, Conturo T, Snyder A . Working and long-term memory deficits in schizophrenia: is there a common prefrontal mechanism?. J Abnorm Psychol. 2002; 111(3):478-94. DOI: 10.1037//0021-843x.111.3.478. View

Webster J . The effect of Toxoplasma gondii and other parasites on activity levels in wild and hybrid Rattus norvegicus. Parasitology. 1994; 109 ( Pt 5):583-9. DOI: 10.1017/s0031182000076460. View

Denys D, Zohar J, Westenberg H . The role of dopamine in obsessive-compulsive disorder: preclinical and clinical evidence. J Clin Psychiatry. 2004; 65 Suppl 14:11-7. View

DellOmo G, Fiore M, Alleva E . Strain differences in mouse response to odours of predators. Behav Processes. 2014; 32(2):105-15. DOI: 10.1016/0376-6357(94)90069-8. View

Vyas A, Sapolsky R . Manipulation of host behaviour by Toxoplasma gondii: what is the minimum a proposed proximate mechanism should explain?. Folia Parasitol (Praha). 2010; 57(2):88-94. DOI: 10.14411/fp.2010.011. View

File S, Wardill A . Validity of head-dipping as a measure of exploration in a modified hole-board. Psychopharmacologia. 1975; 44(1):53-9. DOI: 10.1007/BF00421184. View

Aleman A, Hijman R, de Haan E, Kahn R . Memory impairment in schizophrenia: a meta-analysis. Am J Psychiatry. 1999; 156(9):1358-66. DOI: 10.1176/ajp.156.9.1358. View

Ranganath C, Minzenberg M, Ragland J . The cognitive neuroscience of memory function and dysfunction in schizophrenia. Biol Psychiatry. 2008; 64(1):18-25. PMC: 2474810. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2008.04.011. View

Flegr J . Influence of latent Toxoplasma infection on human personality, physiology and morphology: pros and cons of the Toxoplasma-human model in studying the manipulation hypothesis. J Exp Biol. 2012; 216(Pt 1):127-33. DOI: 10.1242/jeb.073635. View

10.

Creuzet C, Robert F, Roisin M, Van Tan H, Benes C, Dupouy-Camet J . Neurons in primary culture are less efficiently infected by Toxoplasma gondii than glial cells. Parasitol Res. 1998; 84(1):25-30. DOI: 10.1007/s004360050351. View

11.

Tenter A, Heckeroth A, Weiss L . Toxoplasma gondii: from animals to humans. Int J Parasitol. 2000; 30(12-13):1217-58. PMC: 3109627. DOI: 10.1016/s0020-7519(00)00124-7. View

12.

Flegr J, Klose J, Novotna M, Berenreitterova M, Havlicek J . Increased incidence of traffic accidents in Toxoplasma-infected military drivers and protective effect RhD molecule revealed by a large-scale prospective cohort study. BMC Infect Dis. 2009; 9:72. PMC: 2692860. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2334-9-72. View

13.

Cohen A, Brown L, Auster T . Olfaction, "olfiction," and the schizophrenia-spectrum: an updated meta-analysis on identification and acuity. Schizophr Res. 2012; 135(1-3):152-7. DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2011.12.005. View

14.

Kusbeci O, Miman O, Yaman M, Aktepe O, Yazar S . Could Toxoplasma gondii have any role in Alzheimer disease?. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. 2010; 25(1):1-3. DOI: 10.1097/WAD.0b013e3181f73bc2. View

15.

Carter C, Barch D, Buchanan R, Bullmore E, Krystal J, Cohen J . Identifying cognitive mechanisms targeted for treatment development in schizophrenia: an overview of the first meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia Initiative. Biol Psychiatry. 2008; 64(1):4-10. PMC: 2577821. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2008.03.020. View

16.

Flegr J, Lindova J, Kodym P . Sex-dependent toxoplasmosis-associated differences in testosterone concentration in humans. Parasitology. 2008; 135(4):427-31. DOI: 10.1017/S0031182007004064. View

17.

Torrey E, Bartko J, Yolken R . Toxoplasma gondii and other risk factors for schizophrenia: an update. Schizophr Bull. 2012; 38(3):642-7. PMC: 3329973. DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbs043. View

18.

Besheer J, Jensen H, Bevins R . Dopamine antagonism in a novel-object recognition and a novel-object place conditioning preparation with rats. Behav Brain Res. 1999; 103(1):35-44. DOI: 10.1016/s0166-4328(99)00021-2. View

19.

Zeeb F, Robbins T, Winstanley C . Serotonergic and dopaminergic modulation of gambling behavior as assessed using a novel rat gambling task. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2009; 34(10):2329-43. DOI: 10.1038/npp.2009.62. View

20.

Strekalova T, Spanagel R, Bartsch D, Henn F, Gass P . Stress-induced anhedonia in mice is associated with deficits in forced swimming and exploration. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2004; 29(11):2007-17. DOI: 10.1038/sj.npp.1300532. View