弓形虫感染与海马功能障碍性疾病的关系
Relationship between Toxoplasma gondii infection and dysfunctional diseases of the hippocampus

摘要：海马是人脑内发生神经可塑性改变的重要部位，参与大脑不同的高级功能。弓形虫在全球人群感染率估计在30%以上。本文综述了弓形虫感染与海马功能障碍性疾病(如癫痫、精神分裂综合征、认知障碍、抑郁症等)之间的关系及其作用机制，并对目前存在的问题和局限性进行分析，对今后的研究方向进行展望，以期为海马功能障碍性疾病尤其是临床上难以治愈的该类疾病的治疗提供新的方向。
ABSTRACT: The hippocampus, a crucial structure for neuronal plastic response, participates in various aspects of higher function of the brain. Toxoplasma gondii is prevalent in humans and seropositivity of toxoplasma is estimated to be more than 30% in the world. This review summarizes the recent findings on the role of toxoplasma infection in hippocampus-dysfunctional diseases with an emphasis on the underlying mechanisms. Those hippocampus-dysfunctional diseases include epilepsy, schizophrenia, cognitive disorder, and depression. Also, this review discusses the potential problems or limitations of previous studies on this subject, and at the same time raises novel strategies for treating hippocampus-dysfunctional diseases, especially cryptogenic or treatment-resistant diseases