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If you're starting a family, consider these words from Robert Sapolsky: "The parasite my lab is beginning to focus on is one in the world of mammals, where par
by nealabq 9y ago
If you're starting a family, consider these words from Robert Sapolsky:
"The parasite my lab is beginning to focus on is one in the world of mammals, where parasites are changing mammalian behavior. It's got to do with this parasite, this protozoan called Toxoplasma. If you're ever pregnant, if you're ever around anyone who's pregnant, you know you immediately get skittish about cat feces, cat bedding, cat everything, because it could carry Toxo. And you do not want to get Toxoplasma into a fetal nervous system. It's a disaster."
"There's a long-standing literature that absolutely shows there's a statistical link between Toxo infection and schizophrenia. It's not a big link, but it's solidly there. Schizophrenics have higher than expected rates of having been infected with Toxo, and not particularly the case for other related parasites. Links between schizophrenia and mothers who had house cats during pregnancy."
https://www.edge.org/conversation/robert_sapolsky-toxo https://www.edge.org/conversation/robert_sapolsky-toxo
- lr4444lr 9y agoMakes you rethink the cause and effect behind "the crazy cat lady"!
- piyh 9y agoCan also really fuck up your eyes https://aapos.org/client_data/files/2015/1230_fig2congenitaltoxoscar.jpg https://aapos.org/client_data/files/2015/1230_fig2congenital...
- woliveirajr 9y agoAnd when you have that black hole very close (or over) that light part, it means that your toxo lesion is over the sport where all your eye nerves go, and then you become blind. Or almost, depending the exact position. Or you are "cured" but keep seeing eye floaters for the rest of your life.
- Chaebixi 9y agoWhat's that from?
- dom96 9y agoThis makes me wonder, if such a high percentage of people are already infected by this parasite why should mothers avoid handling cat litter boxes when pregnant? They're already infected, no? Is the parasite dormant when it settles itself after infection? i.e. when you've been infected in the past, there is no risk to the baby, but if you're exposed to it again you can infect the baby?
- throwanem 9y agoYes. After initial infection, which usually presents asymptomatically or with flu-style malaise, the parasites form cysts in the brain and stay there, where they aren't transmissible. The danger to the fetus comes with a new infection in the transmissible phase, which is likely to disrupt the fetal nervous system in lethal or severely damaging ways to which an adult brain isn't so susceptible. (Source: I read a lot. Could be wrong! Don't think I am.)