Sleep onset insomnia, daytime sleepiness and sleep duration in relationship to Toxoplasma gondii IgG seropositivity and serointensity
Ahmad Zaki,
Moustafa Yara W.,
Stiller John W.,
Pavlovich Mary A.,
Raheja Uttam K.,
Gragnoli Claudia,
Snitker Soren,
Nazem Sarra,
Dagdag Aline,
Fang Beverly,
Fuchs Dietmar,
Lowry Christopher A.,
Postolache Teodor T.
Affiliations
Ahmad Zaki
Mood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Moustafa Yara W.
Mood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Stiller John W.
Mood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Pavlovich Mary A.
Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Raheja Uttam K.
Mood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Gragnoli Claudia
Division of Endocrinology, Translational Medicine, Department of Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Snitker Soren
Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Nazem Sarra
Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Denver, CO, USA
Dagdag Aline
Mood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Fang Beverly
Mood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Fuchs Dietmar
Division of Biological Chemistry, Biocenter, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria
Lowry Christopher A.
Department of Integrative Physiology and Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
Postolache Teodor T.
Mood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) infects central nervous tissue and is kept in relative dormancy by a healthy immune system. Sleep disturbances have been found to precipitate mental illness, suicidal behavior and car accidents, which have been previously linked to T. gondii as well. We speculated that if sleep disruption, particularly insomnia, would mediate, at least partly, the link between T. gondii infection and related behavioral dysregulation, then we would be able to identify significant associations between sleep disruption and T. gondii. The mechanisms for such an association may involve dopamine (DA) production by T. gondii, or collateral effects of immune activation necessary to keep T. gondii in check. Sleep questionnaires from 2031 Old Order Amish were analyzed in relationship to T. gondii-IgG antibodies measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity and serointensity were not associated with any of the sleep latency variables or Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). A secondary analysis identified, after adjustment for age group, a statistical trend toward shorter sleep duration in seropositive men (p=0.07). In conclusion, it is unlikely that sleep disruption mediates links between T. gondii and mental illness or behavioral dysregulation. Trending gender differences in associations between T. gondii and shorter sleep need further investigation.
