کد مقاله | کد نشریه | سال انتشار | مقاله انگلیسی | نسخه تمام متن |
---|---|---|---|---|
922098 | 1473914 | 2016 | 5 صفحه PDF | دانلود رایگان |
• Rats with Toxoplasma gondii infection show greater effort aversion.
• This effect is restricted to chronic phase of the infection.
• This effect is congruent with atrophy of basolateral amygdala previously reported.
Rats chronically infected with protozoan Toxoplasma gondii exhibit greater delay aversion in an inter-temporal task. Moreover T. gondii infection also results in dendritic atrophy of basolateral amygdala neurons. Basolateral amygdala is reported to bias decision making towards greater effortful alternatives. In this context, we report that T. gondii increases effort aversion in infected male rats. This host–parasite association has been widely studied in the context of loss of innate fear in the infected males. It is suggested that reduced fear towards predators reflects a parasitic behavioral manipulation to enhance trophic transmission of T. gondii. Observations reported here extend this paradigm away from a monolithic change in fear and towards a multi-dimensional change in decision making.
Journal: Brain, Behavior, and Immunity - Volume 53, March 2016, Pages 273–277