Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers say having a pet at an early age could reduce the risk of developing schizophrenia later on in life. A new study suggests man's best friend can help improve our well-being in many ways. The study's findings were originally published in the journal PLOS One.
"Serious psychiatric disorders have been associated with alterations in the immune system linked to environmental exposures in early life, and since household pets are often among the first things with which children have close contact, it was logical for us to explore the possibilities of a connection between the two," study author Robert Yolken, chair of the Stanley Division of Pediatric Neurovirology and professor of neurovirology in pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center, told a news portal.
For the study, the team wanted to examine the relationship between exposure to a household pet at a young age and a later diagnosis of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. The results surprised researchers. Being exposed to a dog at a young age, before you turn13-years-old, reduced a person's risk of schizophrenia. "The largest apparent protective effect was found for children who had a household pet dog at birth or were first exposed after birth but before age 3," Yolken told a news portal.
However, the team did not find a similar link between pets and bipolar disorder.Some studies suggest early life exposure to pets like dogs and cats may make a change to the immune system.
"There are several plausible explanations for this possible 'protective' effect from contact with dogs -- perhaps something in the canine microbiome that gets passed to humans and bolsters the immune system against or subdues a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia," Yolken told a news portal. Adding, "However, we did find a slightly increased risk of developing both disorders for those who were first in contact with cats between the ages of 9 and 12."
Yolken further explained:"This indicates that the time of exposure may be critical to whether or not it alters the risk."
More research is needed to better understand their findings."A better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the associations between pet exposure and psychiatric disorders would allow us to develop appropriate prevention and treatment strategies," Yolken told a news portal.
Another study found complications during pregnancy could turn schizophrenia genes in the placenta. "For the first time, we have found an explanation for the connection between early life complications, genetic risk, and their impact on mental illness and it all converges on the placenta," study author Dr Daniel Weinberger, CEO of the Lieber Institute, told a news portal.
Adding, "The surprising results of this study make the placenta the centerpiece of a new realm of biological investigation related to how genes and the environment interact to alter the trajectory of human brain development."
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