Impaired social behaviour and molecular mediators of associated neural circuits during chronic Toxoplasma gondii infection in female mice

Brain, Behavior, and Immunity
Shiraz TyebjiChristopher J Tonkin

Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a neurotropic parasite that is associated with various neuropsychiatric disorders. Rodents infected with T. gondii display a plethora of behavioural alterations, and Toxoplasma infection in humans has been strongly associated with disorders such as schizophrenia, in which impaired social behaviour is an important feature. Elucidating changes at the cellular level relevant to neuropsychiatric conditions can lead to effective therapies. Here, we compare changes in behaviour during an acute and chronic T. gondii infection in female mice. Further, we notice that during chronic phase of infection, mice display impaired sociability when exposed to a novel conspecific. Also, we show that T. gondii infected mice display impaired short-term social recognition memory. However, object recognition memory remains intact. Using c-Fos as a marker of neuronal activity, we show that infection leads to an impairment in neuronal activation in the medial prefrontal cortex, hippocampus as well as the amygdala when mice are exposed to a social environment and a change in functional connectivity between these regions. We found changes in synaptic proteins that play a role in the process of neuronal activation such as ...Continue Reading

Citations

Sep 17, 2020·Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz·Ywlliane da Silva Rodrigues MeurerClaudio Bruno Silva de Oliveira
Jan 20, 2021·Trends in Parasitology·Samira Abdulai-SaikuAjai Vyas
Jun 6, 2021·Psychopharmacology·Thiago Garcia VargaTatiana Rosado Rosenstock

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