Parasites might be controlling your brain

[Atria35]

But the parasite is also causing physical changes in your brain. I'm not sure that's much different.

[Darth_Kirby]

But the parasite is also causing physical changes in your brain. I'm not sure that's much different.

yeah, but the parasite is making changes to your primal instincts using chemicals. Primal instincts (like sexual desire, hunger, and others) can be ignored through human willpower. Hence we have fasting, celebacy, and even people resisting amazing amounts of pain in order to survive.

[shooraijin]

Alzheimer's is not a mental process, it's a physical one. While no cause is known, there are physical changes that have occurred in the brain observable after autopsy, and neurons actually die. The symptoms do indeed include loss of memory, but memory changes are not the only manifestation.

Yes, we can definitely overpower lower-order mental processes with higher states of mind, or cognitive behavioural therapy wouldn't have any value. But things like toxoplasmosis, and in fact any physical damage to the brain, are actually destroying real brain tissue. While occupational, cognitive and physical therapies seek to rehabilitate the brain to rewire itself around such damage, there certainly comes a point depending on the extent and areas affected where people's functionality cannot return no matter what you do. With that in mind, Atria35's point is well taken.

I should also point out that toxoplasmosis does not damage the brain purely by chemical means. The mass effect itself simply by it growing can be enough, same as any other space-occupying lesion.

[TopazRaven]

I actually looked into this whole toxoplasmosis thing quite awhile ago after seeing a video on YouTube of a pet rat playing with a cat. A lot of people in the comments where saying the only reason that rat wanted to be near the cat was because it had toxoplasmosis. When I found out it was a parasite that can infect the brains of not only rats and cats, but humans as well I panicked and decided to look it up. Most of the stuff I read said toxoplasmosis isn't fatal to humans and usually goes unnoticed by the infected person and resolves itself as long as the person is not pregnant or have a low immune system. Was that wrong? I actually have 8 cats at the moment and from what I read you can get it from contact with cat feces. Being the paranoid little thing I am I figured I'd ask.

[shooraijin]

No, that's correct. For most people toxo is, based on all available evidence, clinically irrelevant even if they get infected (and it's not that contagious or virulent, so it'll take quite a few liberties with quite a few litter boxes with cats that actually do catch rodents -- my cat doesn't ).

[TopazRaven]

My cats don't catch rodents either, strictly indoor. Any mouse or rat would be crazy to step foot in this house. Thanks for the clarifications.

[rocklobster]

Uh-oh. Sounds like the Yeerks have invaded. Better call in the Animorphs.

[ich1990]

Cell phones, tablet PC's, brain controlling parasites..... the world seems more and more like science fiction every day.

That is to say it is getting more and more awesome every day.

[Darth_Kirby]

Cell phones, tablet PC's, brain controlling parasites..... the world seems more and more like science fiction every day.

That is to say it is getting more and more awesome every day.

lol How about if I were to tell you that soon you'll be able to "print" organs in the same way you print a picture from a printer? It's possible and being perfected now. It's called organ printing. lol Very original with naming the technique, eh?

[Wolf-man]

lol Resident Evil and Stargate SG-1 references FTW!

So brain controlling parasites huh...sheesh people how many times have I told you...