Today’s Big Idea: Reprogramming the Brain
In today’s lesson, Ross Pomeroy explores how researchers are learning how the parasite is Toxoplasma gondii “weasels its way into the brain,” producing “some subtle and startling changes in the host’s behavior.”
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Neuroscience has found in recent decades just how elastic the human brain is. By flexing our brain muscles we can reprogram it in ways that are suited to higher levels of memory and productivity.
On the other hand, common parasites might also be reprogramming our brains in surprising ways.
In today’s lesson, Ross Pomeroy explores how researchers are learning how the parasite is Toxoplasma gondii “weasels its way into the brain,” producing “some subtle and startling changes in the host’s behavior.”
So where does this parasite come from? Domestic cats.
Image courtesy of Shutterstock.
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