Is Toxoplasma gondii a Trigger of Bipolar Disorder?

• Published in: Pathogens (Basel) Vol. 6; no. 1; p. 3
• Main Authors: Del Grande, Claudia, Galli, Luca, Schiavi, Elisa, Dell'Osso, Liliana, Bruschi, Fabrizio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 10.01.2017; MDPI
• Subjects: Abnormalities; antipsychotics and mood stabilizers; Asymptomatic; Bipolar disorder; Brain; Central nervous system; Congenital diseases; Cysts; Cytokines; Disorders; Dopamine; dopaminergic pathways; Encephalitis; Fetuses; Immune response; immunity; Infections; Intellectual disabilities; Mental disorders; Neurotransmitters; Older people; Parasites; Pathogenesis; Pathogens; pro-inflammatory cytokines; Protozoa; Psychosis; Review; Schizophrenia; Signs and symptoms; Toxoplasma gondii; Tropism; bipolar disorder; antipsychotics and mood stabilizers; Toxoplasma gondii; immunity; pro-inflammatory cytokines; dopaminergic pathways
• ISSN: 2076-0817; 2076-0817
• DOI: 10.3390/pathogens6010003

, a ubiquitous intracellular parasite, has a strong tropism for the brain tissue, where it forms intracellular cysts within the neurons and glial cells, establishing a chronic infection. Although latent toxoplasmosis is generally assumed to be asymptomatic in immunocompetent individuals, it is now clear that it can induce behavioral manipulations in mice and infected humans. Moreover, a strong relation has emerged in recent years between toxoplasmosis and psychiatric disorders. The link between and schizophrenia has been the most widely documented; however, a significant association with bipolar disorder (BD) and suicidal/aggressive behaviors has also been detected. may play a role in the etiopathogenesis of psychiatric disorders affecting neurotransmitters, especially dopamine, that are implicated in the emergence of psychosis and behavioral -induced abnormalities, and inducing brain inflammation by the direct stimulation of inflammatory cytokines in the central nervous system. Besides this, there is increasing evidence for a prominent role of immune dysregulation in psychosis and BD. The aim of this review is to describe recent evidence suggesting a link between and BD, focusing on the interaction between immune responses and this infectious agent in the etiopathogenesis of psychiatric symptoms.