11 Nov A Virus that Makes us Stupid?
A recent accidental finding has led to the discovery of a virus that ‘makes humans more stupid.’ While this might sound like something hot off the presses of The Onion, the study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
This algae virus was found to alter cognitive functions such as spatial awareness and visual processing. The discovery was made by happenstance when studying unrelated throat microbes. These supposedly innocuous microorganisms were found in healthy people and can affect cognition and behavior. Forty out of ninety participants in the study tested positive for the virus, suggesting the virus could be fairly widespread. Those who tested positive achieved worse scores in attention span, and the accuracy and speed of visual processing.
Most of the human body’s trillions of viruses, bacteria, and fungi are harmless, but this study suggests that some microbes can have an impact on cognitive functions without negatively affecting our physical health.
What does this have to do with dentistry might you ask? Well, not a whole lot to be honest, other than a similar interconnectedness of your your overall health as discussed in this previous article. Anything to do with our health is important to understand, especially when your practice focuses on the holistic approach required with Biomimetic Dentistry. Contact us for more information on how Biomimetic dentistry works.
Image used under creative commons license – commercial use (11/11/2014) Kanijoman (Flickr)