Toxoplasmosis Parasite: How Can Cat Control Our Brain Function

The parasite Toxoplasma gondii can change the behavior of rodents like rats and mice. They undergo a brain alteration that causes them to lose their natural dread of cat urine and instead become drawn to it, increasing the likelihood that cats will catch the infected rodents and ingest the mind-controlling parasites. Because T. gandhi can only reproduce in the stomachs of cats, their survival is strongly impacted by this behavior. Recent studies by Wendy Ingram at the University of California, Berkeley, show that this parasite can alter mice's behavior as early as three weeks after infection.

Although the researchers are still unsure of how this occurs, they have made several significant discoveries. Gandhi was genetically modified by Stanford University and used by Ingram's team. The manufactured parasite was distinct from the naturally occurring T. gilaris in two important respects. First, it was unable to develop cysts inside the host's neurons. Cysts are defense mechanisms that parasites frequently employ to ward off the immune systems of their hosts.