Can Toxoplasmosis Cause Schizophrenia?
Can Toxoplasmosis Cause Schizophrenia? Thursday August 5, 2010 #spacer{clear:left}#abc #sidebar{margin-top:1.5em}zSB(3,3) Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite that infects mice and makes them less afraid of cats. The fearless mice are more likely to be eaten by cats, and the parasite reproduces in the cats’ digestive tract. Toxoplasma’s ability to alter mouse behavior has led to a bit of evidence and a lot of theories about how human brains might be affected by the parasite. Since about a third of adult humans worldwide have toxoplasmosis, this is a pretty important question. The most obvious starting point is behavior driven by fear or fearlessness. According to Stanford researcher Robert Sapolsky, “Two different groups independently have reported that people who are Toxo-infected have three to four times the likelihood of being killed in car accidents involving reckless speeding.” Patrick House of Slate observe
