Xiaoqing Peng

National Institute on Drug Abuse | NIDA

Previously, we reported that Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii)-seropositivity is associated with higher impulsive sensation seeking in younger men. As dopaminergic and serotonergic signaling regulate impulsivity, and as T. gondii directly and indirectly affects dopaminergic signaling and induces activation of the kynurenine pathway leading to the diver...

Toxoplasma gondii (T.gondii) IgG positivity and serointensity, and markers of low-grade inflammation, have been previously associated with suicidal self-directed violence (SSDV). Although associations with unipolar depression have also been investigated, results have been inconsistent, possibly as a consequence of high heterogeneity of clinical sam...

Toxoplasma gondii (T.gondii) IgG positivity and serointensity, and markers of low-grade inflammation, have been previously associated with suicidal self-directed violence (SSDV). Although associations with unipolar depression have also been investigated, results have been inconsistent, possibly as a consequence of high heterogeneity of clinical sam...

Smoking is highly prevalent in patients with schizophrenia and exerts a negative impact on cardiovascular mortality in these patients. Smoking has complex interactions with monoamine metabolism through the ability of cigarette smoke to suppress Type 1 T helper cell (Th1) type immunity, the immunophenotype that is implicated in phenylalanine hydroxy...

We previously reported that trait aggression, proposed as an endophenotype for suicidal behavior, is positively associated with Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) seropositivity in females, but not in males. Additionally, older males seropositive for T. gondii had lower scores on measures of trait aggression, including self-aggression. Trait aggression...