Toxoplasma Gondii Moderates the Association between Multiple Folate-Cycle Factors and Cognitive Function in U.S. Adults

( ) is a microscopic, apicomplexan parasite that can infect muscle or neural tissue, including the brain, in humans. While infection has been associated with changes in mood, behavior, and cognition, the mechanism remains unclear. Recent evidence suggests that may harvest folate from host neural cel...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nutrients 2017-06, Vol.9 (6), p.564
Main Authors: Berrett, Andrew N, Gale, Shawn D, Erickson, Lance D, Brown, Bruce L, Hedges, Dawson W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Adults
Biomarkers - blood
Brain
Cognition
Cognitive ability
Cognitive Dysfunction - blood
Cognitive Dysfunction - parasitology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Data processing
Female
Folic acid
Folic Acid - administration & dosage
Folic Acid - blood
Health risks
Homocysteine
Homocysteine - blood
Humans
Infections
Learning
Male
Memory
Middle Aged
Mood
Muscles
Neurodevelopmental disorders
Nutrition
Nutrition Surveys
Protozoa
Reaction time
Reaction time task
Sample Size
Socioeconomic Factors
Toxoplasma - metabolism
Toxoplasmosis - blood
Toxoplasmosis - physiopathology
Vitamin B
Vitamin B 12 - administration & dosage
Vitamin B 12 - blood
Young Adult
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Description
Summary:( ) is a microscopic, apicomplexan parasite that can infect muscle or neural tissue, including the brain, in humans. While infection has been associated with changes in mood, behavior, and cognition, the mechanism remains unclear. Recent evidence suggests that may harvest folate from host neural cells. Reduced folate availability is associated with an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and cognitive decline. We hypothesized that impairment in cognitive functioning in subjects seropositive for might be associated with a reduction of folate availability in neural cells. We analyzed data from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to determine the associations between infection, multiple folate-cycle factors, and three tests of cognitive functioning in U.S. adults aged 20 to 59 years. In these analyses, moderated the associations of folate, vitamin B-12, and homocysteine with performance on the Serial Digit Learning task, a measure of learning and memory, as well as the association of folate with reaction time. The results of this study suggest that might affect brain levels of folate and/or vitamin B-12 enough to affect cognitive functioning.
ISSN:2072-6643
2072-6643
DOI:10.3390/nu9060564