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Modulating the modulators: parasites, neuromodulators and host behavioral change.

Shelley A Adamo1

  • 1Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada. sadamo@is.dal.ca

Brain, Behavior and Evolution
|February 4, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Parasites manipulate host behavior by altering neuromodulators, often by inducing the host to produce these compounds. This strategy may evolve from immune system adaptations, offering an energetically efficient manipulation mechanism.

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Area of Science:

  • Neurobiology
  • Parasitology
  • Behavioral Ecology

Background:

  • Neuromodulators enable behavioral flexibility for survival in changing environments.
  • Parasites can exploit this neural plasticity to manipulate host behavior for their own benefit.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review three invertebrate host-parasite systems to determine if parasites alter host behavior by secreting neuromodulators.
  • To investigate the mechanisms and evolutionary origins of parasite-induced behavioral manipulation.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on three specific host-parasite systems: Cotesia congregata/Manduca sexta, Polymorphus paradoxus/Gammarus lacustris, and Trichobilharzia ocellata/Lymnaea stagnalis.
  • Analysis of how parasites influence host neuromodulator concentrations and gene expression.

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  • Examination of the energetic costs and evolutionary pathways of neuromodulator-based manipulation.

    • Main Results:

    • Parasites can alter host behavior through neuromodulatory changes, such as increased octopamine in Manduca sexta suppressing feeding.
    • Parasites may influence host serotonergic systems (e.g., in Gammarus lacustris) or induce secretion of host compounds like schistosomin (in Lymnaea stagnalis) to alter behavior.
    • In several cases, hosts, not parasites, produce the neuromodulators, suggesting indirect manipulation strategies.

    Conclusions:

    • Parasites effectively manipulate host behavior by altering neuromodulator activity, often by inducing the host to produce these substances.
    • This manipulation may be energetically advantageous for parasites, potentially evolving from immune evasion mechanisms.
    • Immune-neural-behavioral pathways represent a fertile ground for the evolution of parasitic manipulation.