Recently, a group of scientists issued a statement that up to 40 percent of people are infected with brain parasites that can affect human behavior.
John Webster, professor of epidemiology at Imperial College London, explains this by the fact that the parasites in the brain are isolated and protected from attacks from the immune system. It also gives them the ability to influence human behavior, he said.
Often found in domestic cats, the single-celled parasite Toxoplasma can infect 350,000 Britons in a year. Professor of evolutionary biology at Charles University in Prague, Jaroslav Flegr, associates the effects of Toxoplasma with a tendency to sloppy driving and suicide.
A study conducted by researchers at Imperial College concludes that mice infected with Toxoplasma were not repelled, but rather attracted by the smell of cat urine.
Toxoplasma, represented as microscopic cysts, has been found in two areas of the brain: those responsible for fear and pleasure. The repulsive reaction to the smell of cat urine was reduced, and the increase in the concentration of the hormone dopamine, usually produced in rodents in response to the smell of female urine, was caused in response to the cat smell.
Recent research has also shown that Toxoplasma DNA includes two dopamine-boosting genes. The similarity between the structure of the human brain and the brain of rodents suggests that most car accidents among those infected with Toxoplasma could be caused by dulling the feeling of fear.
Scientists believe that 40% of the UK population can be infected with Toxoplasma. However, despite the fact that their research relates directly to the population of the UK, the parasite is so widespread around the world, that 40 percent may be from the population of the entire globe.
In another study, led by Dr. Barragan and conducted in collaboration with Uppsala University researchers, published in the scientific journal PloS Pathogens, in a recent interview with Dr. Barragan, it was stated that Toxoplasma contamination is not new to humanity:
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We believe this knowledge is important for further understanding some of the big questions in healthcare that modern science cannot answer … At the same time, it is important to emphasize that people have lived with Toxoplasma for millennia, so this is not a cause for concern for modern carriers of the parasite.
We did not look at the behavioral changes in infected people as they were mentioned in previous studies. Instead, we discovered mechanisms for the parasite to enter the brain and manipulate the host.
The main goal of research is to understand the mechanisms of communication of neurotransmitters in the brain among themselves, and its results will most likely be used in the development of psychiatric drugs.
While it is useful to have an understanding and understanding of the mechanisms and functions of the human body, it is important to follow the progress of such studies in order to exclude the possibility of their use with the intention of controlling the population.
Regarding the parasite itself, in most cases it is safe, unless it can make you a little crazy, although we are all a little crazy to some extent, so it doesn't really matter.