Bruce Banner may now have an easier way to provoke anger to turn into the Incredible Hulk without having to hurt himself or let go of his mental restraint to turn into the Incredible Hulk – all he needs is to eat rare steak.
Seriously, researchers have found a parasitic bug that could likely infect a lot of adults that causes an inflammation in the brain and affect behaviour associated with increased aggression, recklessness and impulsiveness, among others.
This was revealed recently in a study by the University of Chicago where scientists identified the culprit as a parasitic bug called the toxoplasma gondii, that thrives in undercooked or raw meats like beef and lamb.
The same bug can also be found in cats.
The bug causes a chemical reaction in the brain called toxoplasmosis where in most cases, the parasite is active for a few weeks after contracting it characterized with mild flu-like symptoms so subtle that those infected could hardly notice it.
After a couple of weeks the parasite goes into a latent stage where it remains dormant for a long time and although it is believed to be harmless during this dormant stage, studies are now looking at a number of evidence that this latency stage affects people’s behaviour.
Emil Coccaro, a behavioural neuroscience and psychiatry professor, said that their work manifests that latent infection with the toxoplasma gondii parasite may change brain chemistry in a fashion that increases the risk of aggressive behavior.
The study was conducted on 358 adult participants, which showed initial results where people who get provoked in extreme rage were twice as much at risk of having dormant toxoplasmosis.
Provoked rage is the latest of behavioural factors that have bee n tested as one of the psychological effects linked with toxoplasmosis, as well as depression and worse, suicide.
Toxoplasmosis has also been linked with schizophrenia, according to professor Joanne Webster, chairperson of parasitic diseases from the University of London and an expert on toxoplasmosis, pointed out that toxoplasmosis can increase the brain’s ‘reward’ hormone dopamine, however, chronic overstimulation of the hormone may also affect behaviour.
The parasite, once ingested, goes up to the brain through the bloodstream and shields itself from the immune system.
Researchers firmly believe that the primary culprit of this disease are undercooked meats.
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