A microscopic parasite may be doing more inside the brain than we ever imagined.
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have discovered that Toxoplasma gondii — a common parasite carried by roughly 30% of people in the United States — can interfere with how brain cells communicate, even when it infects only a small number of neurons.
Rather than causing widespread damage, the parasite appears to subtly rewire communication pathways.
The study found that infected neurons release fewer extracellular vesicles (EVs) — tiny molecular packets that neurons use to send messages to surrounding cells, including astrocytes. Astrocytes are critical support cells that regulate brain chemistry, balance neurotransmitters, and maintain overall neural stability.
When EV signaling drops, glutamate levels can rise.
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have discovered that Toxoplasma gondii — a common parasite carried by roughly 30% of people in the United States — can interfere with how brain cells communicate, even when it infects only a small number of neurons.
Rather than causing widespread damage, the parasite appears to subtly rewire communication pathways.
The study found that infected neurons release fewer extracellular vesicles (EVs) — tiny molecular packets that neurons use to send messages to surrounding cells, including astrocytes. Astrocytes are critical support cells that regulate brain chemistry, balance neurotransmitters, and maintain overall neural stability.
When EV signaling drops, glutamate levels can rise.
07:43 AM - Feb 17, 2026
Only people mentioned by myralynnr in this post can reply
Freedom Fighter
@JRFREEDOMFIGHTER
17 February, 08:22
In response Myra Raney to her Publication
Cultural habits of a population may affect the acquisition of T. gondii infection from ingested tissue cysts in undercooked meat. For example, in France the prevalence of antibody to T. gondii is very high in humans. Though 84% of pregnant women in Paris have antibodies to T. gondii, only 32% in New York City and 22% in London have such antibodies [1]. The high incidence of T. gondii infection in humans in France appears to be related in part to the French habit of eating some meat products raw or undercooked. In contrast, the high prevalence of T. gondii infection in Central and South America is probably due to high levels of contamination of the environment by oocysts 1]. As stated above, the relative frequency of acquisition of toxoplasmosis from eating raw meat and that due to ingestion of oocysts from cat feces is impossible to determine, and as a result, statements on the subject are at best controversial.
https://www.sciencedirect....
https://www.sciencedirect....
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Myra Raney
@myralynnr
17 February, 07:45
In response Myra Raney to her Publication
Excess glutamate is dangerous — it has been associated with seizures, neuroinflammation, and long-term neural damage. Over time, this chemical imbalance may alter neural connectivity in ways scientists are only beginning to understand.
Most people infected with T. gondii never show symptoms, and the parasite often remains dormant for life. But this research suggests that its presence may not be entirely silent. Even low-level, chronic infection could influence how the brain regulates communication at the cellular level.
Perhaps most promising is the diagnostic breakthrough. Because standard antibody tests cannot detect whether the parasite is actively affecting the brain, researchers are now exploring extracellular vesicles as blood-based biomarkers. If successful, this approach could allow doctors to identify chronic brain infections earlier — and potentially intervene.
Most people infected with T. gondii never show symptoms, and the parasite often remains dormant for life. But this research suggests that its presence may not be entirely silent. Even low-level, chronic infection could influence how the brain regulates communication at the cellular level.
Perhaps most promising is the diagnostic breakthrough. Because standard antibody tests cannot detect whether the parasite is actively affecting the brain, researchers are now exploring extracellular vesicles as blood-based biomarkers. If successful, this approach could allow doctors to identify chronic brain infections earlier — and potentially intervene.
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Myra Raney
@myralynnr
17 February, 07:46
In response Myra Raney to her Publication
By understanding how glial cells respond to infected neurons, scientists hope to develop targeted therapies, and possibly even vaccines, to prevent long-term neurological consequences.
This discovery doesn’t mean widespread alarm. But it does deepen our understanding of how even a single-celled organism can quietly influence the most complex organ in the human body.
Source: University of California, Riverside research study
This discovery doesn’t mean widespread alarm. But it does deepen our understanding of how even a single-celled organism can quietly influence the most complex organ in the human body.
Source: University of California, Riverside research study
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