Predator cat odors activate sexual arousal pathways in brains of toxoplasma gondii infected rats
Cat odors induce rapid, innate and stereotyped defensive behaviors in rats at first exposure, a presumed response to the evolutionary pressures of predation. Bizarrely, rats infected with the brain parasite Toxoplasma gondii approach the cat odors they typically avoid. Since the protozoan Toxoplasma...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2012
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/93918 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/7479 |
| _version_ | 1826111062001319936 |
|---|---|
| author | House, Patrick K. Vyas, Ajai Sapolsky, Robert M. |
| author2 | School of Biological Sciences |
| author_facet | School of Biological Sciences House, Patrick K. Vyas, Ajai Sapolsky, Robert M. |
| author_sort | House, Patrick K. |
| collection | NTU |
| description | Cat odors induce rapid, innate and stereotyped defensive behaviors in rats at first exposure, a presumed response to the evolutionary pressures of predation. Bizarrely, rats infected with the brain parasite Toxoplasma gondii approach the cat odors they typically avoid. Since the protozoan Toxoplasma requires the cat to sexually reproduce, this change in host behavior is thought to be a remarkable example of a parasite manipulating a mammalian host for its own benefit. Toxoplasma does not influence host response to non-feline predator odor nor does it alter behavior on olfactory, social, fear or anxiety tests, arguing for specific manipulation in the processing of cat odor. We report that Toxoplasma infection alters neural activity in limbic brain areas necessary for innate defensive behavior in response to cat odor. Moreover, Toxoplasma increases activity in nearby limbic regions of sexual attraction when the rat is exposed to cat urine, compelling evidence that Toxoplasma overwhelms the innate fear response by causing, in its stead, a type of sexual attraction to the normally aversive cat odor. |
| first_indexed | 2024-10-01T02:44:28Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | ntu-10356/93918 |
| institution | Nanyang Technological University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-10-01T02:44:28Z |
| publishDate | 2012 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ntu-10356/939182023-02-28T17:03:00Z Predator cat odors activate sexual arousal pathways in brains of toxoplasma gondii infected rats House, Patrick K. Vyas, Ajai Sapolsky, Robert M. School of Biological Sciences DRNTU::Science::Biological sciences::Microbiology Cat odors induce rapid, innate and stereotyped defensive behaviors in rats at first exposure, a presumed response to the evolutionary pressures of predation. Bizarrely, rats infected with the brain parasite Toxoplasma gondii approach the cat odors they typically avoid. Since the protozoan Toxoplasma requires the cat to sexually reproduce, this change in host behavior is thought to be a remarkable example of a parasite manipulating a mammalian host for its own benefit. Toxoplasma does not influence host response to non-feline predator odor nor does it alter behavior on olfactory, social, fear or anxiety tests, arguing for specific manipulation in the processing of cat odor. We report that Toxoplasma infection alters neural activity in limbic brain areas necessary for innate defensive behavior in response to cat odor. Moreover, Toxoplasma increases activity in nearby limbic regions of sexual attraction when the rat is exposed to cat urine, compelling evidence that Toxoplasma overwhelms the innate fear response by causing, in its stead, a type of sexual attraction to the normally aversive cat odor. Published version 2012-01-26T02:37:55Z 2019-12-06T18:47:44Z 2012-01-26T02:37:55Z 2019-12-06T18:47:44Z 2011 2011 Journal Article House, P. K., Vyas, A., & Sapolsky, R. M. (2011). Predator cat odors activate sexual arousal pathways in brains of toxoplasma gondii infected rats. PLoS ONE, 6(8), e23277. https://hdl.handle.net/10356/93918 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/7479 10.1371/journal.pone.0023277 21858053 en PLoS one © 2011 House et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. application/pdf |
| spellingShingle | DRNTU::Science::Biological sciences::Microbiology House, Patrick K. Vyas, Ajai Sapolsky, Robert M. Predator cat odors activate sexual arousal pathways in brains of toxoplasma gondii infected rats |
| title | Predator cat odors activate sexual arousal pathways in brains of toxoplasma gondii infected rats |
| title_full | Predator cat odors activate sexual arousal pathways in brains of toxoplasma gondii infected rats |
| title_fullStr | Predator cat odors activate sexual arousal pathways in brains of toxoplasma gondii infected rats |
| title_full_unstemmed | Predator cat odors activate sexual arousal pathways in brains of toxoplasma gondii infected rats |
| title_short | Predator cat odors activate sexual arousal pathways in brains of toxoplasma gondii infected rats |
| title_sort | predator cat odors activate sexual arousal pathways in brains of toxoplasma gondii infected rats |
| topic | DRNTU::Science::Biological sciences::Microbiology |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/93918 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/7479 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT housepatrickk predatorcatodorsactivatesexualarousalpathwaysinbrainsoftoxoplasmagondiiinfectedrats AT vyasajai predatorcatodorsactivatesexualarousalpathwaysinbrainsoftoxoplasmagondiiinfectedrats AT sapolskyrobertm predatorcatodorsactivatesexualarousalpathwaysinbrainsoftoxoplasmagondiiinfectedrats |