Growing up with cats could have a strange effect on your mind, new research suggests.
The findings dont prove a cause-and-effect link between cats and schizophrenia, but they do warrant further research.
The parasite can also infect the brains of other large warm-blooded animals, humans included.
Photo: Alena Ozerova (Shutterstock)
While human infections are a dead-end for T. gondii, they might still leave a lasting mark on us.
Researchers in Australia decided to take a broad look at the evidence for and against this hypothesis.
They looked at 17 studies in total, conducted in 11 countries over a 44-year span.
The results werepublishedthis month in the journal Schizophrenia Bulletin.
These types of studies are valuable but cant fully rule other confounding variables or firmly establish a causal relationship.
Another relevant issue is that schizophrenia is rare.
The link between cats, T. gondii, and schizophrenia definitely merits more study, Kious says.
Unfortunately, thats a study that wouldnt be feasible or ethical for lots of reasons.
News from the future, delivered to your present.
