Toxoplasma and schizophrenia

Summary Research on infectious agents as a possible cause of schizophrenia has become prominent in the past decade. Toxoplasma gondii has emerged as a prime candidate for a variety of reasons; (i) many studies have reported that individuals with schizophrenia, compared to controls, have a higher pre...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Parasite immunology 2009-11, Vol.31 (11), p.706-715
Main Authors: YOLKEN, R. H., DICKERSON, F. B, FULLER TORREY, E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Antibodies, Protozoan - biosynthesis
Antipsychotic Agents - pharmacology
Dopamine - biosynthesis
Humans
schizophrenia
Schizophrenia - etiology
Schizophrenia - metabolism
Toxoplasma - drug effects
Toxoplasma - immunology
Toxoplasma - pathogenicity
Toxoplasma gondii
toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis - complications
Toxoplasmosis - immunology
Toxoplasmosis - metabolism
Toxoplasmosis - parasitology
Virulence
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Summary Research on infectious agents as a possible cause of schizophrenia has become prominent in the past decade. Toxoplasma gondii has emerged as a prime candidate for a variety of reasons; (i) many studies have reported that individuals with schizophrenia, compared to controls, have a higher prevalence of antibodies to T. gondii, (ii) some individuals with adult toxoplasmosis develop psychotic symptoms similar to those of schizophrenia, (iii) epidemiologically, there are many similarities between toxoplasmosis and schizophrenia, (iv) antipsychotic drugs known to be effective in schizophrenia also inhibit some parasites, including T. gondii, (v) Toxoplasma has been shown to induce elevated levels of dopamine in experimentally infected animals (elevated dopamine is commonly seen in individuals with schizophrenia) and (vi) studies have shown that individuals with schizophrenia, compared to controls, have had greater exposure to cats in childhood. A number of questions remain concerning a role for Toxoplasma in the aetiology of schizophrenia, including the roles of strain variation, the timing and source of infection, and the role of host genes in determining disease susceptibility. The establishment of a firm association between Toxoplasma and the aetiology of schizophrenia and related disorders would represent a major breakthrough in the understanding of these disorders and would lead to novel methods for their treatment and prevention.
ISSN:0141-9838
1365-3024
DOI:10.1111/j.1365-3024.2009.01131.x