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| Тема |
 Re: котки и аутизъм [re: dorka14] |
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| Автор |
Biohaz (Scientist) |
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| Публикувано | 21.02.14 00:10 |
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Неотдавна говорихме за GABA...
Once in the Brain, Toxoplasma Spurs GABA Secretion
The researchers didn't examine how the toxoplasmosis parasite changes host behavior, they were more interested in what it does in the brain.
They found that it takes over one of the brain's neurotransmitters: the chemical messengers that carry signals between various parts of the brain.
In one test tube experiment, they infected human dendritic cells with the parasite. Dendritic cells form the frontline of the immune system, and play a key role in triggering and adapting immune responses. Once infected, the dendritic cells started secreting GABA, a chemical messenger.
In another experiment with live mice, the researchers tracked infected dendritic cells from their initial point of infection to other parts of the brain where they continued to affect the GABA system.
In their author summary, the researchers note:
"Dendritic cells are considered the gatekeepers of the immune system but can, paradoxically, also mediate dissemination of the parasite."
"This study establishes that GABAergic signaling modulates the migratory properties of dendritic cells and that the intracellular pathogen Toxoplasma gondii sequesters the GABAergic signaling of dendritic cells to assure propagation," they add.
GABA does a number of things, but one of them is to inhibit the sensations of fear and anxiety. People with mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar diseases, anxiety syndrome and depression show disturbances in GABA systems.
Barragan describes the parasite's ability to make the immune cells secrete GABA as "very clever" and says the finding was "as surprising as it was unexpected".
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Sasquatch!
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