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Decrease of psychomotor performance in subjects with latent ‘asymptomatic’ toxoplasmosis
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is known to induce specific behavioural changes in its intermediate hosts. This is usually considered to be an evolutionary adaptation aimed to increase the probability of transmission of the parasite into its definitive host, the cat, by predation. In rodents an increase of reaction time as well as many other specific behavioural patterns have been observed. Here we report the results of our double blind study showing the significantly longer reaction times of 60 subjects with latent toxoplasmosis in comparison with those of 56 controls. Moreover, the existence of a positive correlation between length of infection and mean reaction time suggested that slow and cumulative effects of latent toxoplasmosis rather than a one-step (and possibly transient) effect of acute toxoplasmosis disease are responsible for the decrease of psychomotor performance of infected subjects. To our knowledge, this is the first study confirming the existence of such parasite-induced changes in human behaviour that could be considered in evolutionary history of the human species as adaptive from the point of view of parasite transmission.
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Citations
Cited by
Parasite Manipulation of Host Behavior
Poulin, R. (2010) · Advances in the Study of Behavior · doi:10.1016/s0065-3454(10)41005-0 · Cited by 503
Toxoplasma gondii and Schizophrenia
Torrey, E. F., & Yolken, R. H. (2003) · Emerging Infectious Diseases · doi:10.3201/eid0911.030143 · Cited by 331
Cross talk: the microbiota and neurodevelopmental disorders
Kelly, J. R., Minuto, C., Cryan, J. F., Clarke, G., & Dinan, T. G. (2017) · Frontiers in Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnins.2017.00490 · Cited by 271
Arling, T. A., Yolken, R. H., Lapidus, M., Langenberg, P., Dickerson, F. B., Zimmerman, S. A., Balis, T., Cabassa, J. A., Scrandis, D. A., Tonelli, L. H., et al. (2009) · Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease · doi:10.1097/nmd.0b013e3181c29a23 · Cited by 213
Cook, T. B., Brenner, L. A., Cloninger, C. R., Langenberg, P., Igbide, A., Giegling, I., Hartmann, A. M., Konte, B., Friedl, M., Brundin, L., et al. (2015) · Journal of Psychiatric Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2014.09.019 · Cited by 122
Metadata
- Authors
- HAVLÍČEK, J., GAšOVÁ, Z., SMITH, A. P., ZVÁRA, K., & FLEGR, J.
- Venue
- Parasitology
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2001-05
- Volume
- 122
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 515-520
- ISSN
- 0031-1820 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-8161
- OpenAlex
- W2105555770
- Cited by
- 238
- References
- 0
- FWCI
- 2.83
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
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- HAVLÍČEK, J., GAšOVÁ, Z., SMITH, A. P., ZVÁRA, K., & FLEGR, J. (2001). Decrease of psychomotor performance in subjects with latent ‘asymptomatic’ toxoplasmosis. Parasitology. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0031182001007624
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