A parasite infecting 1/3 of the human population hijacks your brain and forms permanent cysts.
Infected neurons release 350% more dopamine than uninfected ones. PMID: 21957440
Toxoplasma gondii.
You get it from undercooked meat, contaminated water, or cat litter.
Once inside you, it crosses the blood-brain barrier and encysts in your neurons. For life.
The parasite encodes its own tyrosine hydroxylase — the rate-limiting enzyme in dopamine synthesis.
It doesn’t just live in your neurons.
It manufactures the machinery to produce dopamine inside them.
In rodents, this hijacked dopamine system produces a specific behavioral change:
Infected rats lose their fear of cats.
They’re drawn to the smell of cat urine.
Researchers call it “fatal attraction” — because the rat gets eaten, and the parasite completes its lifecycle in the cat’s gut.
In humans, latent Toxoplasma infection has been associated with:
- Increased risk-taking
- Reduced reaction time
- Impulsivity
- Aggression
And linked to schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, and suicide.
1/3 of the world’s population.
Permanent brain cysts. A parasite that manufactures its own neurotransmitter inside your neurons.
And most people infected will never know.
But T. gondii has a weakness.
Lactoferrin — an iron-binding glycoprotein and part of the body’s innate immune defense — has been shown to inhibit its intracellular growth through mechanisms still being studied. The inhibition was dose-dependent and linear. PMID 8645758, PMID 17419186
Comment LACTO and I’ll send you the link to the lactoferrin I use daily.
(I’ll pin it in the comments if 50+ people ask)
Pick up 1 or 10 critters now, plus the community is actually pretty fun to be involved with. @crittersquest
Oh, as a bonus, you get random commentary from @beaniemaxi ...okay maybe not.
Bottom line, you want utility...✅️
You want amusing comunity...✅️
You want a dev that builds......✅️
Plus, CAPYBARAS and they're COSMIC! (Radiation not included)