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Scientist found a virus that makes you dumb. The microbe is called Chlorovirus ATCV-1 and is very common in algae, though pretty rare in humans – of whom it attacks the throat. It was identified by researchers at Johns Hopkins University and at the University of Nebraska, who published their study in the in the journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences).
How does Chlorovirus ATCV-1 affect the brain?
The research team found that people with the virus (40 out of 92 participants to the study) are 10% worse and slower in carrying out some tasks. They therefore decided to investigate further the virus’ influence on cognitive performances and infected a set of lab mice then compared them to another group. Infected mice completed a maze 10% slower than healthy ones, who also spent 20% more time exploring new objects. The virus, the researchers concluded, seem to deplete functions related to “learning, memory formation, and the immune response to viral exposure.”
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