Combine this with the long history of research on the impact of strep infections on OCD, anxiety, and changes in learning......
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/317446.php
Researchers have discovered a mechanism by which the body's immune reaction to viruses like influenza and HIV may cause learning and memory problems. This is the finding of a study led by researchers from NYU Langone Medical Center and published online in Nature Medicine.
Evidence in mice suggests that the entry of a virus anywhere in the bloodstream turns on "first responder" immune cells called CX3CR1highLY6Clow monocytes, which then release the inflammatory signaling protein TNFα. According to the authors of the study, TNFα then travels to the brain where it blocks the formation of nerve cell connections needed to turn sensory information into memories.
Although immune system activation by viruses has long been linked to cognitive problems, the underlying mechanisms have been poorly understood. In the new report, researchers found that virus-associated immune activation causes a loss of connections between nerve cells within brain circuits in the cortex, the brain region responsible for learning. Such mice then do worse on established tests of learning ability.
The observed changes in nerve connections were triggered, not in the brain, but out in the body (the periphery) where viral infection first makes contact with CX3CR1highLY6Clow monocytes in the bloodstream, say the authors.
"This study in animals resonates with what we see in the clinic, where patients with acute or chronic infectious diseases often have weaker performance on motor skills and experience memory decline," says Guang Yang, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine at NYU Langone. "Our results suggest that existing anti-inflammatory treatments that target TNFα may protect against brain dysfunction during peripheral infection."