Parasitic infection may result in seizures and psychiatric illness

Infection by the common Toxoplasma gondii parasite may result in the loss of inhibitory signaling in the brain, as found by scientists from the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute (VA, USA). This research, published recently in GLIA, highlights how the brain may respond to parasitic infection. Infection by the T. gondii parasite is very common and, in the majority of the population, passes unnoticed or causes mild, flu-like symptoms. The parasite is usually found in humans due to exposure to farm or domestic animals or poorly prepared meat. In a small number of patients, the parasite is able to enter the...