How microorganisms influence behaviour

How microorganisms influence behaviour

1. Rabies

   • Multiples in the limbic system
     • Paralysis of esophageal muscles

2. Toxoplasma Gondii

   • Can infect almost all mammals
     • Present in 1/3 of the global population
   • Dangerous to prego women
   • Risk for car accident was 2.65 times greater
   • Infected men more jealousy, emotionally unstable
     • Infected women show greater self esteem
       • Schizophrenia show an increased prevalence of antibodies against T.gondii

3. Neurosyphilis: infection of the brain or spinal cord

4. Antimicrobial hypothesis

   • Pathogens have an influence on food norms and taboos
     • Meat is more likely to be tabooed than other foods

5. Are parasites good for us?

   • Immune systems evolved with pathogens/parasites
     • Jasper Lawrence-helminth therapy

6. Gut bacteria are adapted to local diet

   • More protein digesting microbes in meat eating population and more carbonhydrate digesting in African
     • African microbiome produces more vitamin K

7. Zobellia-Japanese gut bacteria that digests seasweed

   • Compared the guts of Japanese with North American finding they had different digestive enzymes from bacteria

8. The microbiome and anxiety

   • Mice whose diets were supplemented with certain gut bacteria exhibited less anxiety
     • Women who ate fermented yoghurt showed less brain activity associated with anxiety

9. Prebiotics and Probiotics

   • Substances we can't digest but promote good bacteria in the gut
     • You can ingest in pills or food form.