Cognitive Impairment in Parasitic Protozoan Infection

Abstract

AbstractThe association between chronic and acute infections with cognitive decline has been established by considerable amount of evidences comprising laboratory-level and cohort studies. Infections caused by protozoan parasites have a systemic impact on host, often linked to altered psychosocial behaviours. Neuro-parasitology research gradually accumulated mechanistic understanding of the cognitive interface of parasite-host interaction. As revealed by clinical findings, cytokine-chemokine levels and direct neuroimaging of infections caused by neurotropic and non-neurotropic parasite factors like the shared molecular pathways, immunoinflammation affecting the central nervous system (CNS) and direct damage of CNS by parasitic invasion determine the association of the host cognition and parasitic infections. In this narrative, cognitive and neurological aspects of six important parasitic protozoan diseases, namely, toxoplasmosis, malaria, Chagas disease, human African trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis and primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, have been discussed. The broader aim of the article is to emphasize significance of cognitive care in developing therapeutic strategies against the diseases.KeywordsNeuroinflammationCognitive impairmentBlood-brain barrierProtozoan parasiteInfection