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Toxo, the cysts in our brains from cats, can improve self-control (2013)
- MrBuddyCasino 12y ago"it seems to make men more introverted, suspicious, unattractive to women, and oblivious to the way others see them" So basically, cats created 4chan and its userbase. Well played! But seriously, none of these articles ever seem to mention that a cure is being worked on. Also, is there an easy way to test for this parasite?
- iLoch 12y ago> introverted, suspicious, unattractive to women I suspect I may be infected.
- syswarren 12y agoI think we all are and that's the reason why we're here...
- danbruc 12y agoYou can detect the infection with an antibody test [1] and treat it with antibiotics [2]. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis#Diagnosis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis#Diagnosis [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis#Treatment http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis#Treatment
- MrBuddyCasino 12y agoOk, so there is a parasite that happens to alter human behavior, and a significant percentage of the human population is infected. Why is it that I - have never heard of large-scale testing for infection - have never heard of an effort to contain or eradicate this parasite (compared to e.g. rabies) I don't know, it kind of seems like a big deal, or am I completely mistaken?
- aaronblohowiak 12y agoBecause the modifications are slight and still within the normal range of variation in the uninfected population.
- MrBuddyCasino 12y agoYes, but it seems like it has effects simular to a slight depression on men. So it impacts quality of life, at least thats the impression I got. So even if it does not cause huge costs for the health care system or unability to function in life or work, it still seems strange to just ignore it. At least pregnant women are tested it seems.
- mh7854 12y agoToxo causes the brain to produce more dopamine. Dopamine is released in novel situations (i.e. Stumbling on scattered cash). Seritonin is released during consummatory behaviors (i.e. Eating, sex, etc). While most of the released dopamine and seritonin released is part of private conversations between neurons some of the molecules leak out and diffuse through the brain. These background levels of dopamine influence the brain more globally and the brain uses the ratio of dopamine to seritonin as a measure of 'status' meaning 'of how much there is to get (dopamine), how much am I getting (seritonin)' Lots of dopamine and little seritonin influence behavior in a lot of subtle ways. It puts reaction times on a hair trigger which makes movements quick but spastic (improves video games, destroys handwriting). Increases the likelihood to escalate quickly when threatened (get away from my stuff!). Increases libido. Mild OCD type behaviors. Etc, etc, etc. Women seem wired to pick up these clues and avoid low status men. On the flip side. Makes great programmers.
- MrBuddyCasino 12y agoThat was quite interesting. The only thing that doesn't fit well with my life experience is the "high libido" part. The high dopamine crowd seems to be less interested in sex than the average male, in my impression.
- lifeisstillgood 12y ago>> Up to a third of the world's human population is estimated to carry a Toxoplasma infection [http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis] That's almost inconceivable. The other studies around this bounce from 10-25% too. I assumed toxoplasmosis was rare - but that kinda scares me. How do I get a test for me and the family?
- jonah 12y agohttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8443427 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8443427
- colechristensen 12y agoIt shouldn't really. Your immune system evolved in an environment where it expected to be under constant barrage from foreign organisms, in the absence of those many modern people suffer from diseases of the immune system where it misbehaves because it doesn't have enough to do. "Most infected cats will shed oocysts only once in their lifetimes, for a period of about one to two weeks." Your question is best addressed to your physician. If you spend too much time reading about diseases, you'll spend all of your time needlessly worrying about them.
- JabavuAdams 12y agoYeah, I look forward to perfect medical-introspection technology, but I don't think we're ready for what we'll find. I suspect we'll find that we're positively riddled with parasites, subclinical tumours, and all kinds of squick.
- Mouq 12y agoHmm... The wiki page says that about the antibodies, i.e., that many people have at some point been infected... but my understanding may be off
- farmdve 12y agoIs the article sensational when it says that about cysts in the brain? Cause I've had a cat for over 4.5 years now.!? The wikepedia article says that Toxo is linked to ADHD and OCD, both of which I have, OCD since last year.
- darklajid 12y agoNot every cat carries it and not everyone having a cat gets it. Source? Two cats, a wife that gave me two perfect kids and mandatory 'Do you have that condition' tests during both pregnancies. So .. she didn't get it. I assume I didn't either. And really, don't fall into any kind of panic mode. Consult your doctor if you want/must, but .. don't treat random articles on the net as medical advice (that includes this very post).
- imanaccount247 12y agoCat's get far more blame than is really warranted. In order to get it from a cat, you need to first have the cat get infected by eating an infected mouse, then during a roughly two week period where it is shedding the parasite in its feces, you need to eat the cat's feces. If either your cat does not have access to mice to eat, or you don't eat your cat's feces, then you are fine.
- frozenport 12y agoYou let the cat outside, and changed its litter-box.
- imanaccount247 12y agoNo I don't let it outside, that's the point. And I don't eat anything I find in the litter box while changing it.
- ibebrett 12y agodo you really think that the people who get the parasite are knowingly eating pieces of cat feces?
- amitparikh 12y agoThere's a fascinating RadioLab episode which focuses on various parasites, including Toxo (Season 6, Episode 3: http://www.radiolab.org/story/91689-parasites/ http://www.radiolab.org/story/91689-parasites/). One of the key mechanisms of Toxo's behavior is that it can penetrate the brain of rodents and make them sexually attracted to feline urine -- the point is to facilitate the reproduction of the parasite which can occur only on feline intestines.
- tjradcliffe 12y agoSome additional examples: http://www.businessinsider.com/scariest-parasites-in-the-world-2012-6?op=1 http://www.businessinsider.com/scariest-parasites-in-the-wor... The Sacculina genus of parasitic barnacles--which has dozens of species--is spectacularly creepy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacculina http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacculina They infect both female and male crabs and completely subvert their biochemistry, to the extent of feminizing the males. They then lay their own eggs in the crab's carapace, the way the crab normally would, and the crab--male or female--behaves as if it was carrying its own eggs.
- Datsundere 12y agowow I've never heard podcasts like these. I already like the story-telling.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- kolev 12y agoI love(d) cats, but after reading this [1] back in 2012 again, in The Atlantic, I stay away. [1] http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/03/how-your-cat-is-making-you-crazy/308873/?single_page=true http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/03/how-your...
- PhasmaFelis 12y agoYou are perhaps missing the point, then. You are vastly more likely to get toxo from undercooked meat or unwashed vegetables than from cats, especially if you don't clean litterboxes yourself. Recoiling in horror from cats and cat owners is not productive behavior.
- kolev 12y agoWhy do you assume I eat undercooked meat or unwashed vegetables? I was talking about myself and my family, not what everybody else should be doing. I'm Bulgarian and the meat we eat is either well-done (roasted or fried) or boiled (healthiest, no doubt) - we don't ever eat rare meat. That's why we don't like beef - it's hard to chew unless it's rare. Regarding the veggies, our culture is to eat veggies in soups or fried (not ideal, I know), and we eat limited veggies raw, but most of them area easy to clean (like tomatoes, sweet peppers, and cukes), but, in general, washing well or cutting outer layers (which usually contain the most nutrients, I know) is done as people are very cautious. I'm always surprised how farmers markets here in the States give samples from unwashed produce - I'm literary getting grossed out! Some of the germs on them are beneficial, I know, but the risks outweigh the benefits.
- PhasmaFelis 12y agoYou've missed the point entirely. You're looking at toxo infection rates and saying "My God, cats are riddled with disease, shun them!" But most of those infections are not caused by human contact with cats. There's no need to "stay away" from felines as long as you wash your hands after petting them or cleaning the litterbox.
- rayiner 12y agoI've always been suspicious of cats.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- kolev 12y agoA new business idea (inspired by colechristensen's comment: "Most infected cats will shed oocysts only once in their lifetimes, for a period of about one to two weeks.") - How about selling infected cats who's already shed their oocysts, i.e. "safe cats"? Don't downvote, I'm joking.
- JabavuAdams 12y agoWhat about bio-engineering cats that fluoresce when they're infected?
- kolev 12y agoGMOphobes will close you down before opening!
- tragomaskhalos 12y agoI believe there is a parasite that infects snails that similarly alters their brain chemistry to drive them to reckless behaviour (if that doesn't sound too comic wrt snails) such that they are more likely to be spotted and eaten by birds, thereby enabling the parasite's dispersal. In fact a hell of a lot of biology and evolution can be seen to be driven by parasitism. The book "Parasite Rex" is a good if unsettling source.
- chippy 12y agoTwo theories I've thought about. I have a theory that those infected with cats promote their cats on the internet via photos, videos and social networks. More so than dogs, or other pets, for example. In terms of stories, anecdotes or praise about the animals, a cat would have less said about them, but more and more images and publicity about them. Why? Possibly because the parasite requires animals to have more contact with the cat? The second to last paragraph in this article is fascinating to me also. Those with flu are more socially outgoing, and I have read that they are more flirtatious, wearing less etc. It leads to a theory that these viruses could actually be sexually transmitted and actually encourage more sexual activity. Slightly related perhaps: the stereotypes of "cat ladies" being single is not because they are single, but because they have cats! I'm slowly collecting these theories - and the wilder the notions the better when it comes to brain controlling parasites. Of course in terms of behaviour, the range of human behaviour is so wide it almost encompasses the slight influences of parasites. Makes you think what else is in us that could be contributing to our behaviour.
- benbeltran 12y agoHere's a good take on why we share cats on the internet, including brain-control, by pbs' idea channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ_6aRjYR0w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ_6aRjYR0w
- PhasmaFelis 12y agoIf the parasite does promote internet-sharing behavior, I can't see it being anything but coincidence. The internet hasn't been around nearly long enough for toxo to evolve around it.