Toxoplasma gondii IgG associations with sleep-wake problems, sleep duration and timing

Celine C Corona; Man Zhang; Abhishek Wadhawan; Melanie L Daue; Maureen W Groer; Aline Dagdag; Christopher A Lowry; Andrew J Hoisington; Kathleen A Ryan; John W Stiller; Dietmar Fuchs; Braxton D Mitchell; Teodor T Postolache

doi:10.1515/pteridines-2019-0001

Toxoplasma gondii IgG associations with sleep-wake problems, sleep duration and timing

Pteridines. 2019 Feb;30(1):1-9. doi: 10.1515/pteridines-2019-0001. Epub 2019 Feb 19.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Mood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
² Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimers, MD 21201, USA.
³ Mood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA, Saint Elizabeths Hospital, Psychiatry Residency Program, Washington, DC 20032, USA.
⁴ Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimers, MD 21201, USA, Program for Personalized and Genomic Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA, Geriatrics Research and Education Clinical Center, Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
⁵ College of Nursing, University of South Florida College of Nursing, Tampa, FL 33612, USA.
⁶ Mood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA, Psychiatry Adult Inpatient & Behavioral Health, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
⁷ Department of Integrative Physiology and Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO80045, USA, Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 19, Military and Veteran. Microbiome: Consortium for Research and Education (MVM-CoRE), Aurora, CO80 045, USA.
⁸ Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 19, Military and Veteran. Microbiome: Consortium for Research and Education (MVM-CoRE), Aurora, CO80 045, USA, Department of Systems Engineering and Management, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433, USA.
⁹ Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimers, Md 21201, USA, Program for Personalized and Genomic Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
¹⁰ Mood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA, Saint Elizabeths Hospital, Department of Neurology, Washington DC 20032, USA; Maryland State Athletic Commission, Baltimore, MD 21202, USA.
¹¹ Division of Biological Chemistry, Biocenter, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria.

Abstract

Background: Evidence links Toxoplasmagondii (T. gondii), a neurotropic parasite, with schizophrenia, mood disorders and suicidal behavior, all of which are associated and exacerbated by disrupted sleep. Moreover, low-grade immune activation and dopaminergic overstimulation, which are consequences of T. gondii infection, could alter sleep patterns and duration.

Methods: Sleep data on 833 Amish participants [mean age (SD) = 44.28 (16.99) years; 59.06% women] were obtained via self-reported questionnaires that assessed sleep problems, duration and timing. T. gondii IgG was measured with ELISA. Data were analyzed using multivariable logistic regressions and linear mixed models, with adjustment for age, sex and family structure.

Results: T. gondii seropositives reported less sleep problems (p < 0.005) and less daytime problems due to poor sleep (p < 0.005). Higher T. gondii titers were associated with longer sleep duration (p < 0.05), earlier bedtime (p< 0.005) earlier mid-sleep time (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: It seems unlikely that sleep mediates the previously reported associations between T. gondii and mental illness. Future longitudinal studies with objective measures are necessary to replicate our findings.

Keywords: IgG; Toxoplasma gondii; mid-sleep time; sleep duration; sleep timing.

Abstract

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