Apr 04 2009
Being Bipolar: Can toxoplasmosis trigger bipolar disorder?
Sciencedaily.com has reported that scientists have discovered how the toxoplasmosis parasite may trigger schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Previous studies had shown a link between toxoplasmosis infection and the onset of schizophrenia but this is the first study to attempt to identify why.
Toxoplasmosis is a parasite that is transmitted through cat feces. It can be found on unwashed vegetables and undercooked infected meat. It is estimated that 22% of Americans are infected with the parasite and carry it as cysts. The parasite is not dangerous for a healthy person but can sometimes be fatal for people with suppressed immune systems or pregnant women. (This is the reason why pregnant women are often advised by their obstetrician to have someone else change the litter box if they have a pet cat.)
Lead researcher, Dr. Glenn McConkey, said, “Toxoplasmosis changes some of the chemical messages in the brain, and these changes can have an enormous effect on behaviour.” The parasite essentially infects the brain and forms a cyst that produces tyrosine hydroxylase, which is needed to produce dopamine. Dopamine affects mood, attention, motivation and sleeping patterns. All current medications used to treat schizophrenia target dopamine. (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090311085151.htm )
The University of Leeds’ Faculty of Biological Sciences team has recently received a $250,000 grant from Stanley Medical Research Institute to continue this research. They could potentially identify links between toxoplasmosis and other neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease, Tourette’s Syndrome and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).
Hopefully, this research will lead to a better understanding of what can cause these illnesses and may eventually assist in the development of more effective treatments.
Darrel, I was intrigued by this as well because I too have had many indoor cats in my lifetime. I am certainly watching for developments and will post any and all as they arise.
Hi I just found your blog, and I will certainly be following your entries! I too have bipolar disorder. The toxoplasmosis findings are very interesting because I have cats as well. About a year and a half ago I had what I call “The Year That I Was Missing”. In a moment of hypomanic brilliance I had decided that all of my symptoms were simply the result of major nutritional deficiencies due to various physical symptoms I had been experiencing. My eureka moment resulted in a firm resolve to go off of my meds, change my diet, and take massive amounts of vitamins. I think you probably know how that went! After 7 months of having the worst depression I have ever experienced in my life, I decided to listen to my doc and go back on my Lamictal. Yay! Relief! It surely is a miracle drug.
So now to get to the point…Recently I found out that I had Crohn’s disease, which explained all of my various physical symptoms. Part of my treatment required 3 weeks of antimicrobials. Your post makes me wonder if I had toxoplasmosis as well, and is there a way to test for it if the meds ended up clearing it from my system. Possibly a brain scan? I will bring this up to my GI doc next week. Sorry for the long reply! I just think you are neat & find it a relief to ponder this idea with someone like myself! I will let you know if my doc goes along with this idea and investigates further!