Review
Parasitology
Samira Abdulai-Saiku, Wen Han Tong, Ajai Vyas
Summary: This article discusses the behavioral manipulation mechanism of Toxoplasma gondii on intermediate hosts, proposing the role of gonadal steroids in this process. The presence of tissue cysts in the host brain is considered merely a side effect of behavioral change, rather than a necessary or sufficient factor.
TRENDS IN PARASITOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Jiaojiao Wang, Laikun Ma, Xiangyang Chen, Canchao Yang
Summary: The study demonstrates that nest parasites can harm hosts, leading to the evolution of anti-parasitic behaviors in hosts. In the case of oriental reed warblers, hosts showed stronger responses during the nestling stage compared to the egg stage, indicating potential differences in their perception of different threats.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Review
Physiology
Dustin J. Penn, Sarah M. Zala, Kenneth C. Luzynski
Summary: Male house mice excrete large amounts of protein, mainly composed of Major Urinary Proteins (MUPs), in their urinary scent marks, which function as pheromones and pheromone carriers and are dynamically regulated by various factors. MUPs influence the sexual attractiveness of male urinary odor and increased urinary protein excretion is correlated with male reproductive success, helping to reduce energetic costs and predation risks from male scent marking, as well as prolonging the release of chemical signals. MUPs may also provide physiological benefits, including sex-specific effects on survival.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Nicola Mayrhofer, Gregory J. Velicer, Kaitlin A. Schaal, Marie Vasse
Summary: The study found that the predatory bacterium Myxococcus xanthus has a repellent effect on the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, causing it to avoid patches that would normally be attractive. Additionally, the nematode influences the predatory behavior of the bacterium, increasing its swarming rate in response to worm density and prey identity. These findings suggest that nematodes and bacterial predators mutually influence each other's behavior, with potential implications for coevolution within complex microbial food webs.
Article
Ecology
Janusz Kloskowski, Marek Nieoczym
Summary: The study investigated the behavioral effects of fish predation risk on anurans, finding that it influenced the breeding behavior and habitat selection of anurans, resulting in a shift towards an algae-dominated state in the aquatic ecosystem.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Wei-Chung Liu, Hsuan-Wien Chen
Summary: This paper discusses the causes of parasite diversity distribution in ecosystems and proposes the potential of trophic transmission as a mechanism to explain this phenomenon. The feasibility of this idea is demonstrated by fitting a simulation model to empirical data.
ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Virology
Luisa Salazar-Vizcaya, Katharina Kusejko, Huldrych F. Guenthard, Juerg Boeni, Karin J. Metzner, Dominique L. Braun, Dunja Nicca, Enos Bernasconi, Alexandra Calmy, Katharine E. A. Darling, Gilles Wandeler, Roger D. Kouyos, Andri Rauch
Summary: We propose that sexual behavior patterns may influence the formation of transmission networks, and this hypothesis can be addressed by quantifying mapped interactions between groups based on similarities in sexual behavior along a virus phylogeny. This approach is particularly relevant for studying large transmission networks such as HIV or COVID-19.
Review
Entomology
Sabina Avosani, Rachele Nieri, Valerio Mazzoni, Gianfranco Anfora, Zeinab Hamouche, Caterina Zippari, Maria Luisa Vitale, Vincenzo Verrastro, Eustachio Tarasco, Ilaria D'Isita, Salvatore Germinara, Thomas F. Doering, Gregor Belusic, Alberto Fereres, Vinton Thompson, Daniele Cornara
Summary: Behavioral manipulation is a control method that interferes with insect perception and interaction with the environment. It can be a win-win strategy for managing vector-borne plant pathogens, such as Xylella fastidiosa, by reducing the number of vectors alighting on host plants and lowering the chances of transmission. This review summarizes current knowledge on how insect vectors locate and accept host plants, specifically focusing on the meadow spittlebug Philaenus spumarius, and how behavioral manipulation techniques can disrupt the vector-host plant interaction. Furthermore, the combination of diverse behavioral manipulation strategies with integrated pest management tools is discussed as a means to protect olive groves from the fastidious bacterium.
JOURNAL OF PEST SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Ednei B. dos Santos, David M. Logue, Gregory F. Ball, Charlotte A. Cornil, Jacques Balthazart
Summary: We found that the effects of testosterone on canary singing activity and brain song control nuclei volume are sexually differentiated, with females limited in their response to testosterone compared to males. In this study, we examined sex differences in trill production and performance, and discovered that the effects of testosterone on trill characteristics were stronger in males. Additionally, we observed that inter-individual differences in syrinx mass were related to specific trill features in males but not in females.
HORMONES AND BEHAVIOR
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mandy Goldberg, Anna J. Ciesielski Jones, John A. McGrath, Christie Barker-Cummings, Deborah S. Cousins, Lauren M. Kipling, Juliana W. Meadows, James S. Kesner, Michele Marcus, Carolyn Monteilh, Dale P. Sandler
Summary: Research on changes in endocrine levels can indicate the onset of puberty before changes in self-rated Tanner stage, providing a non-invasive method for assessing development.
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Salimeh Moradinasab, Mina Iravani, Parvaneh Mousavi, Bahman Cheraghian, Shahla Molavi
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the effect of cognitive-behavioral therapy on sexual self-esteem and sexual function in reproductive-aged women suffering from urinary incontinence. The results showed that cognitive-behavioral therapy can increase sexual self-esteem and improve sexual function. This is of great importance for reproductive-aged women with urinary incontinence.
INTERNATIONAL UROGYNECOLOGY JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Andrew Ratanatharathorn, Karestan C. Koenen, Lori B. Chibnik, Marc G. Weisskopf, Janet W. Rich-Edwards, Andrea L. Roberts
Summary: Research suggests that childhood abuse may be associated with genetic risk for mental illness, with an increase in genetic risk linked to a higher risk of experiencing childhood abuse, particularly in terms of ADHD and MDD.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Article
Psychiatry
Andreas Walther, Ulrike Ehlert, Michele Schneeberger, Lukas Eggenberger, Christoph Fluckiger, Nikola Komlenac, Adrian Heald, Timothy Rice, Simona Palm, Zac E. E. Seidler, John S. S. Ogrodniczuk, John L. L. Oliffe, Simon M. M. Rice, David Kealy, Rainer Weber, David Zimmermann
Summary: This study aims to evaluate a male-specific psychotherapeutic program (MSPP) for major depressive disorder (MDD) in depressed men receiving testosterone treatment (TT). The study design includes a factorial design with 144 men randomized into three conditions (MSPP, CBT, or Waitlist). The expected results suggest that the treatment groups will be more effective and efficacious than the Waitlist control group, with MSPP showing higher effectiveness and acceptability compared to CBT.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Criminology & Penology
Miriam Schiff, Ruth Pat-Horenczyk, Yuval Ziv, Danny Brom
Summary: This study found that maternal rejection, maternal depression, and social support play important roles in the relationship between child's exposure to traumatic events and behavioral problems. Maternal rejection was associated with greater behavioral problems in children, while both maternal rejection and maternal perceived social support mediated the associations between maternal depressive symptoms and child's behavioral problems. The study also showed that higher levels of child's exposure to traumatic events were linked to lower levels of maternal perceived social support, which in turn increased behavioral problems in children.
JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE
(2021)
Article
Toxicology
Alexander Reznikov, Olga Sachynska, Anna Lymareva, Oksana Faliush
Summary: The study found that prenatal exposure of male rats to low dose DBP can cause reproductive abnormalities, including accelerated testicle descent, hyperactive male sexual behavior, and activation of Leydig cells. Additionally, this exposure can lead to epigenetic changes in sex brain differentiation and regulation of testicular steroidogenesis, resulting in reproductive disorders and accelerated aging of the reproductive system.
TOXICOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Wen Han Tong, Samira Abdulai-Saiku, Ajai Vyas
Summary: Animals balance defensive behaviors with reproductive behaviors, with AVP neurons in the MePD of mice being involved in both sexual behaviors and aversion to predator odors. Activation and recruitment of these neurons can reduce innate fear during reproductive life stages.
NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Psychiatry
Dhiraj Kumar Singh, Shantala Arundathi Hari Dass, Samira Abdulai-Saiku, Ajai Vyas
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
(2020)
Article
Parasitology
Wen Han Tong, Chris Pavey, Ryan O'Handley, Ajai Vyas
Summary: Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite that manipulates the behavior of its intermediate hosts to increase the chances of transmission to its definitive host, cats. Understanding the mechanisms of this behavioral manipulation is crucial for studying host-parasite relationships.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2021)
Review
Parasitology
Samira Abdulai-Saiku, Wen Han Tong, Ajai Vyas
Summary: This article discusses the behavioral manipulation mechanism of Toxoplasma gondii on intermediate hosts, proposing the role of gonadal steroids in this process. The presence of tissue cysts in the host brain is considered merely a side effect of behavioral change, rather than a necessary or sufficient factor.
TRENDS IN PARASITOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Wen Han Tong, Samira Abdulai-Saiku, Ajai Vyas
Summary: Arginine vasopressin (AVP) exhibits remarkable divergence in expression and role between hypothalamic and extra-hypothalamic neurons, which can regulate each other through polysynaptic pathways. In the medial amygdala, AVP expression is sexually dimorphic and responsive to testosterone, facilitating stress responsiveness by influencing the recruitment of hypothalamic AVP neurons.
Correction
Psychiatry
Dhiraj Kumar Singh, Shantala Arundathi Hari Dass, Samira Abdulai-Saiku, Ajai Vyas
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Samira Abdulai-Saiku, Ajai Vyas
Summary: Infection with the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii leads to an increase in oxytocin and its receptors in female rats, potentially altering activity in social salience circuits and reducing defensive behaviors while increasing approach to ambivalent environmental cues. This sexually dimorphic neural change underpins sexually monomorphic host behavioral changes in this host-parasite association.
Editorial Material
Neurosciences
Ajay S. Mathuru, Ajai Vyas
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Patrick L. Taggart, Craig Liddicoat, Wen Han Tong, Martin F. Breed, Philip Weinstein, David Wheeler, Ajai Vyas
Summary: This study found that Toxoplasma infection did not induce widespread differences in the bacterial community composition of the gastrointestinal tract of rats, but revealed sex differences in the bacterial community composition.
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Sijie Tan, Wen Han Tong, Ajai Vyas
Summary: This study presents the efficacy of nutritional products in combating brain cyst burden and cerebral pathologies associated with chronic toxoplasmosis. The study also discusses strategies to improve the translatability of preclinical research and nutritional products to evaluate the benefits of nutritional therapy in humans.
FRONTIERS IN NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Patrick Hodgens, Heidi Groffen, Ryan O'Handley, Ajai Vyas, Louis Lignereux
Summary: The Kangaroo Island dunnart is a critically endangered marsupial species with a population estimated at around 500 individuals found only on the western end of Australia's third largest island. The recent severe bushfires, combined with pre-existing habitat fragmentation, have resulted in the destruction of over 98% of the known and predicted habitat. Following the fires, evidence of eight individual dunnarts was found in the digestive tract of seven feral cats out of the 86 collected in remaining unburnt refuges, highlighting the need for immediate risk management efforts after large-scale stochastic events.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Chris Pavey, Ajai Vyas
Summary: The environmental context can lead to diverse phenotypes from identical genotypes. The concepts of epigenotypes and extended phenotypes are proposed to explain the relationship between genetic information and the environment. Epigenotypes suggest that modifications of genetic material can generate nonvariant modules of development, while extended phenotypes propose that the appropriate phenotype of genetic information can extend beyond the organism itself. A synthesis between epigenotypes and extended phenotypes, called extended epiphenotypes, is proposed in this perspective.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Philip Ngo, Louis Lignereux, Ryan O'Handley, Ajai Vyas
Summary: Parasitism of mice by Toxoplasma gondii reduces the host's aversion to cat odours, likely increasing predation and transmission of the parasite to its definitive host. This behavioural change suggests a parasitic manipulation where host behaviour becomes an extended phenotype of the parasite. The study also found that Toxoplasma gondii infection leads to specific DNA hypomethylation events in the host brain, which underlie the central processing of cat odours. These findings provide a connection between extended phenotypes, epigenetics, and behavioural diversity.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Sijie Tan, Wen Han Tong, Ajai Vyas
Summary: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a degenerative brain disorder with a long prodromal period. An APPNL-G-F knock-in mouse model is used to study the early stages of AD. Detecting cognitive impairments in the early disease phase has been challenging.
DISEASE MODELS & MECHANISMS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Louis Lignereux, Wen Han Tong, Sijie Tan, Ajai Vyas, Ryan O'handley
Summary: This study examined the prevalence of T.gondii infection in feral house mice and found a low seroprevalence but a high detection rate of T.gondii genetic material. Sex and body weight did not affect the PCR outcome. The transmission route and natural selection processes may contribute to the chronic infection of wild mice in the absence of measurable humoral immune response.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-PARASITES AND WILDLIFE
(2023)