This news is unlikely to make cat owners give up their furry friends.
A new study by Australian researchers found a potential link between schizophrenia and a parasite carried by cats, but other scientists say the evidence needs more investigation.
How the Researchers Came to This Conclusion
A team from the University of Queensland analyzed the results of 17 studies conducted over the past 44 years across 11 countries.
In their meta-analysis, the researchers found that individuals who had contact with cats were twice as likely to develop schizophrenia compared with those who did not. In an article for the journal Schizophrenia Bulletin, the scientists suggested this connection is likely related to the parasite Toxoplasma gondii (also known as T. gondii), which is found in domestic cats. It most commonly enters the human body through bites from cats.
The team explained that the parasite can infiltrate the central nervous system and affect neurotransmitters in the brain. This, in turn, can lead to personality disorders, psychotic symptoms, and mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.
Symptoms of Schizophrenia Typically Emerge Between Ages 16 and 30
About one percent of the global population has schizophrenia.
This chronic mental disorder affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. People with schizophrenia can lose touch with reality. Experts believe genetics, anomalies in brain chemistry, viral infections, and immune disorders all contribute to the onset of this severe mental illness.
Typically, symptoms of schizophrenia first appear between ages 16 and 30. In rare cases, children can also be affected.
The Daily Mail explains that the symptoms of schizophrenia fall into three categories: positive, negative, and cognitive.
Positive symptoms are disturbances that “add” to a person’s experience and include hallucinations, delusions, and thought disorders (unusual or dysfunctional ways of thinking).
Negative symptoms refer to abilities a person has lost. These include “flat affect” (reduced emotional expression through facial expressions or tone of voice), diminished pleasure in everyday life, and difficulties in initiating and sustaining activities.
Cognitive symptoms involve changes in mental functions, particularly memory, attention span, and the ability to use information for decision-making.
Criticism of the Study
Other scientists argue this topic needs more development. They say the studies the team analyzed were mostly low quality and produced contradictory conclusions.
Researchers who did not participate in the meta-analysis also said it did not adequately consider other factors that contribute to schizophrenia, such as genetics and socioeconomic background.
