Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39179937›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of bipolar disorders2024

Toxoplasma gondii IgG serointensity and cognitive function in bipolar disorder.

Paul Rensch, Teodor T Postolache, Nina Dalkner, Tatjana Stross, Niel Constantine, Aline Dagdag, Abhishek Wadhawan, Farooq Mohyuddin, Christopher A Lowry, Joshua Joseph and 11 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of bipolar disorders, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026
    Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

21 authors.

Paul RenschDivision of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Teodor T PostolacheDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Nina DalknerDivision of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria. nina.dalkner@medunigraz.at.
Tatjana StrossDivision of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Niel ConstantineInstitute of Human Virology, Department of Pathology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Aline DagdagDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Abhishek WadhawanDepartment of Psychiatry, Saint Elizabeths Hospital, Washington, DC, USA.
Farooq MohyuddinDepartment of Psychiatry, Saint Elizabeths Hospital, Washington, DC, USA.
Christopher A LowryRocky Mountain Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Aurora, CO, USA.
Joshua JosephDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Armin BirnerDivision of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Frederike T FellendorfDivision of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Alexander FinnerDivision of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Melanie LengerDivision of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Alexander MagetDivision of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Annamaria PainoldDivision of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Robert QueissnerDivision of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Franziska SchmiedhoferDivision of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Stefan SmolleDivision of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Adelina Tmava-BerishaDivision of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Eva Z ReininghausDivision of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAlongside affective episodes, cognitive dysfunction is a core symptom of bipolar disorder. The intracellular parasite T. gondii has been positively associated with both, the diagnosis of bipolar disorder and poorer cognitive performance, across diagnostic boundaries. This study aims to investigate the association between T. gondii seropositivity, serointensity, and cognitive function in an euthymic sample of bipolar disorder.

methodsA total of 76 participants with bipolar disorder in remission were tested for T. gondii-specific IgG and IgM antibodies and for cognitive performance using neuropsychological test battery. Cognitive parameters were categorized into three cognitive domains (attention and processing speed, verbal memory, and executive function). Statistical analysis of associations between continuous indicators of cognitive function as dependent variables in relationship to T. gondii, included multivariate analyses of co-variance for seropositivity, and partial correlations with IgG serointensity in IgG seropositives. All analyses were controlled for age and premorbid IQ.

resultsIn seropositives (n = 27), verbal memory showed significant inverse partial correlations with IgG antibody levels (short delay free recall (r=-0.539, p = 0.005), long delay free recall (r=-0.423, p = 0.035), and immediate recall sum trial 1-5 (r=-0.399, p = 0.048)). Cognitive function did not differ between IgG seropositive and seronegative individuals in any of the cognitive domains (F (3,70) = 0.327, p = 0.806, n = 76). IgM positives (n = 7) were too few to be analyzed.

conclusionsThis investigation is the first to show an association between T. gondii IgG serointensity and memory function in a well-diagnosed bipolar disorder sample. It adds to the existing literature on associations between latent T. gondii infection and cognition in bipolar disorder, while further research is needed to confirm and expand our findings, eliminate potential sources of bias, and establish cause-effect relationships.

Indexed as

Bipolar disorderCognitionToxoplasma gondiiToxoplasmosis

Identifiers

PMID39179937
PMCPMC11343948

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.