Complement-dependent loss of inhibitory synapses on pyramidal neurons following Toxoplasma gondii infection.

ABSTRACT: The apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii has developed mechanisms to establish a central nervous system infection in virtually all warm-blooded animals. Acute T. gondii infection can cause neuroinflammation, encephalitis, and seizures. Meanwhile, studies in humans, nonhuman primates, and rodents have linked chronic T. gondii infection with altered behavior and increased risk for neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia. These observations and associations raise questions about how this parasitic infection may alter neural circuits. We previously demonstrated that T. gondii infection triggers the loss of inhibitory perisomatic synapses, a type of synapse whose dysfunction or loss has been linked to neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. We showed that phagocytic cells (i

SUBMITTER: Carrillo GL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10363253 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature