![]() Hayden, Kathleen M Baker, Laura D Bray, George et al. (2018) A Genetic Score Associates With Pioglitazone Response in Patients With Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis. Kawaguchi-Suzuki, Marina Cusi, Kenneth Bril, Fernando et al. Third, it would offer the potential of specific anti-microbial treatments for an important public health problem. Second, it would demonstrate the potential for a wide variety of currently unexplained behavioral disorders to be the product of parasitic manipulation. First, it would demonstrate the capacity of CNS parasites to alter human host behavior in the absence of clinical disease. If such an association can be demonstrated, there would be important implications. In this pilot study, we propose to test the association between toxoplasmosis gondii exposure and hoarding behavior. Diogenes cases may comprise 25% of Bexar County Adult Protective Services caseload (personal communication). Social service providers estimate 1,000 active cases in Manhatten alone, (i.e., a prevalence of 4/10,000) (Ron Alford personal communication). This may be an underestimate, as the available studies are restricted persons who are known to health care providers. Cooney amp Hamid (1995) estimate an annual incidence of the Diogenes Syndrome at 5 per 10,000 persons aged over 60 years. The Diogenes syndrome is an important public health problem. A majority of these persons also suffer from poor health maintenance including malnutrition and anemia. The living environment may contain numerous pets, insect or rodent infestations, and occasionally human and animal excrement, (i.e., an environment that is conducive to the interspecies transmission of T. ![]() Diogenes cases are often found living in unsanitary conditions. ![]() The interior is often filled with rubbish and clutter to the point of being a health hazard to the person. In extreme cases, the living conditions of these persons are filthy and neglected on the exterior. Affected individuals amass huge quantities of apparently useless and unused articles, including both new and old items, newspapers and magazines, used food containers, bedding, and other useless rubbish. Pathological horading, (i.e., 'syllogamania', sometimes also called the 'Diogenes Syndrome'), is characterized by domestic squalor, loss of insight, and social withdrawal (Clark, Manikur amp Gray, 1975 Cooney amp Hamid, 1995). Subjects will be evaluated for novelty seeking behavior, surveyed for lifetime exposure to cats/laboratory rats, and have serum Toxoplasmosis gondii antibodies drawn as an indication of prior exposure to the parasite.CLINICAL Public Health Relevance Individual office spaces will be blindly rated for level of hoarding. Nevertheless, the office setting provides a personal space in which there is little policing of incipient hoarding behavior. ![]() Healthcare professionals are not likely to have significant mental or physical comorbidities. gondii infection in humans can be associated with personality changes (Flegr & Hrdy, 1994 Flegr et al., 1996 Flegr & Havlicek, 1999 Flegr et al., 2000 Novotna et al., 2005), including decreased novelty seeking (Flegr et al., 2003 Novotna et al., 2005).RESEARCH PLAN: We propose to test the association between toxoplasmosis gondii exposure and a specific behavioral phenotype, 'hoarding behavior' and low 'novelty seeking.' Because cats and rodents are common host for toxoplasmosis gondii we plan to make the association of lifetime exposure to cats and rats to Toxoplasmosis gondii infection.METHODS: We will examine the relationship between infection to Toxoplasmosis gondii, hoarding behavior, novelty seeking behavior, and lifetime exposure to household cats or laboratory rats, 80 healthcare professionals who do not have baseline Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Interestingly, dopamine activity can also be associated with personality traits in humans, particularly 'novelty seeking' (Cloninger, 1998 Hansenne et al., 2002). Increases in CNS dopamine are associated with psychosis in humans, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) like ritualistic behavior in rodents (Eilam & Szechtman, 2005). gondii exhibit selective increases in CNS dopamine concentrations (Stibbs, 1985). Toxoplasma gondii is an important cause of encephalopathy and death in immunocompromised persons. The institution listed isfor the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator.BACKGROUND: Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan microbial parasite that infects a wide range of wild and domestic animals and can be transmitted to human beings. ![]() The subproject andinvestigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source,and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing theresources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. ![]()
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