schizophrenia-parasite connection.

"Own me, to control me
Come closer, come closer."

I finally figured out where this line is from! Such a catchy song, bring it back to the radio. This particular line came to me in class this Tuesday while listening to a group's presentation.

But first, I want to gush about the idea of college courses. You sign up to learn about whatever topic interests you, and professors put in their blood and sweat into teaching you the material and testing you to make sure you've actually learned something. What an idea.

Last Tuesday during our presentations one group talked about microbiology & behavior. It is amazing to hear about how bacteria can "hijack" an insect and manipulate it to optimize its own survival. The bacteria use the poor bug just enough to keep it alive then kills it when it is most convenient & beneficial to do so. This idea is fascinating to me, and just like the last time I heard about this on the radio, I probably made this face:

Picture Source

But this really blew my mind: scientists have found that there is a mild correlation between schizophrenia and a infection of microbial parasite called Toxoplasma gondii which is transmitted to humans mainly through cat feces. In rats, Toxoplasma infection causes the rats to "develop an actual attraction to the pheromones" in cat urine, making them more likely to be eaten by a cat. The Stanley Medical Research Institute hosts a variety of research on this schizophrenia-Toxoplasma correlation; T. gondii infection may cause changes in personality (a "really" maybe), lower cognitive function, and a poor reaction time. Specifically for schizophrenia, T. gondii has been shown to produce excess dopamine, which suggests a mode of mechanism for this infection causing schizophrenia. A 2011 study of 45,609 mothers suggested that a high level of T. gondii-specific antibodies correlates to a higher probability of being diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Is this real life? Source

Remind me to never get a cat.