Final- Microbes, Brain & Behavior Flashcards
How does Toxoplasmosis gondii affect human behavior? How does it affect rat behavior?
Men were more introverted, suspicious, oblivious to other people’s opinion of them, and inclined to disregard rules, had less friends
-More likely to wear rumpled old clothes
Women were more outgoing, trusting, image-conscious, rule- abiding, had more friends
-More likely to wear expense designer clothes
Infected subjects become less attentive-slowed reaction time
Infected rats were more active and less cautious in areas where predators lurk
-Fatal feline attraction> attraction to cat urine
Which neurotransmitter is affected and what are the main functions of this neurotransmitter?
Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that is affect
Associated with fear, pleasure, and attention
What results in rats have made scientists interested in learning whether this protozoan affects sexual behavior in humans? How does it affect suicide risk?
The parasite can hijack the circuitry related to sexual arousal in male rats
-Boosts dopamine levels in the reward part of the brain to make it think cat urine is.. Okay
Found cysts in rat testicals/semen, could be passed to females
-Infected male rats suddenly become much more attractive to females
-T.gondiii can be an STI in humans
o How does the flu virus affect behavior?
It boosts our desire to socialize
How does Toxoplasmosis gondii affect the brain in people with schizophrenia? According to Torrey, what caused the incidence of schizophrenia to rise?
Schizophrenia patients had reduced gray matter in the brain
How does AIDS, syphilis, and herpes affect a person’s interest in sex?
People at the end stages of AIDS and syphilis, and people at the beginning stages of herpes express an intense craving for sex
What is an endozoite?
Endozoite- a diversity of bacteria, protozoans, and viruses
What are the four different ways that endozoites enter the brain?
1) biologically active molecules like polypeptide hormones are activity transported across the BBB (blood-born barrier)
2) BBB is not effective against migrating host cells, therefore, immune cells can efficiently enter the brain
3) direct neuronal pathways offer endozoites to enter the brain via synaptic connection because it bypasses the BBB
4) circumventricular organs lack classical BBB and appear for early invasion that results in the brain later
What are the names of the endozoites that have been associated with schizophrenia? For each endozoite, what evidence supports a possible link with schizophrenia?
Influenza virus- prenatal exposure
HSV-2- prenatal exposure and genetics passed onto offspring
Porphyromonas gingivalis- increased levels of P. Gingivalis (the key pathogen in periodontal disease) in saliva from SZ patients
Toxoplasma ssp- prenatal exposure
All are associated with CNS Invasion
