The research team under the supervision of RNDr. Šárka Kaňková, Ph.D., focuses mainly on evolutionary psychology, especially in relation to reproduction. One of their main research topics is pregnancy, in various interdisciplinary contexts. The areas of focus include hormonal, immunological, parasitological, behavioral and psychological factors and their interactions. The aim of the team’s research is also to observe the effects of these variables on the development and health of the child. Specific topics that the team focuses on include e.g. the adaptive function of the behavioral immune system and its affective part - disgust, the effect of toxoplasmosis on reproduction, the study of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy and related changes in the composition of gut microbiome. 

Team members and their research: 

RNDr. Šárka Kaňková, Ph.D. – team supervisor connecting all research topics

RNDr. Jana Ullmann, Ph.D. – the effect of toxoplasmosis on reproduction, the transmission routes of Toxoplasma gondii

Mgr. Daniela Dlouhá – testing of the compensatory prophylaxis hypothesis, tactile disgust, the development of disgust in preschool children

Mgr. et Ing. Jana Benešová – the adaptive function of disgust and nausea and vomiting in pregnancy in child’s ontogenesis 

Mgr. Kateřina Roberts, Ph.D – predictors and functions of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy

Mgr. Žaneta Pátková – visual perception and disgust (measured using eye tracker)

Bc. Natalie Kosinová – the behavioral immune system in relation to women’s reproductive phase 

Bc. Hana Hubová – the development of disgust in adolescents

Ongoing grant projects:

GAČR – P407/23-05519S “Disgust sensitivity before and after conception: immunological and hormonal correlates and long-term effects on maternal and child health”

GAČR – P407/20-16698S “Disgust sensitivity in pregnancy: Individual differences and longitudinal changes”

GAUK – 46824 “Cross-cultural differences in the development of disgust in preschool children, depending on parental socialization of disgust”

GAUK – 286221 “The relationship between disgust, health and political thinking”

GAUK – 262721 “Experimental oral infection of laboratory mice by the Toxoplasma gondii parasite”

International collaborations:

prof. dr. S. Craig Roberts - Division of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland, United Kingdom

Aleksandra Szymków, Ph.D., and Natalia Frankowska, Ph.D. - Center for Research on the Biological Basis of Social Behavior, SWPS University, Warsaw, Poland.

Michal M. Stefanczyk - Instytut Psychologii, University of Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland

prof. dr. Joshua M. Tybur - Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Internal collaborations:

Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague - Mgr. Jakub Kreisinger, Ph.D., the human ethology section - prof. Mgr. Jan Havlíček, Ph.D.

Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague - Mgr. et Mgr. Lea Takács, Ph.D.

Institute of Endocrinology - Ing. Martin Hill DrSc., Mgr. Josef Včelák, Mgr. Ludmila Máčová, Ph.D., RNDr. Marie Bičíková, Ph.D.

National Institute of Health - RNDr. Petr Kodym, CSc.

Gynecological clinics: ProfiGyn - MUDr. Kamila Nouzová; GynFleur - MUDr. Hana Hrbáčková

Departement of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Neonatology, First Faculty of Medicine and General University Hospital in Prague - Prof. MUDr. Pavel Calda, CSc.

Topics for theses:

The behavioral immune system in animals (bachelor thesis)

The development of disgust and fear in children (bachelor thesis - reserved)

The effect of latent toxoplasmosis on the course of pregnancy and mental wellbeing (bachelor/master thesis)

The role of sexual disgust in partnership (bachelor/master thesis - reserved)

Other topics related to the research of the team can be offered after individual consultation

 

Selected publications from the last 5 years:

  • Kaňková Š., Dlouhá D., Ullmann J., Velíková M., Včelák J., Hill M. (2024) Association between Disgust Sensitivity during Pregnancy and Endogenous Steroids: A Longitudinal Study. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 25(13): 6857, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25136857 (IF2023=4.9).
  • Ullmann J., Kodym P., Flegr J., Berenová D., Jirsová S., Kaňková Š. (2024) Oral Sex as a Potential Route for Toxoplasma Gondii Transmission: Experiment with Human Semen and Laboratory Mice Model. Acta Parasitologica 69: 1314-13180, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11686-024-00848-5 (IF2022=1.5).
  • Tolchinski A., Ellis G.F.R., Levin M., Kaňková Š., Burgdorf J.S. (2024) Disgust as a primary emotional system and its clinical relevance. Frontiers in Psychology 15: 1454774. https://doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1454774 (IF2023=2.6).
  • Fořt J., Flegr J., Kuba R., Kaňková Š. (2024) Fertility of Czech Gay and Straight Men, Women, and Their Relatives: Testing the Sexually Antagonistic Gene Hypothesis. Archives of Sexual Behavior 53: 1747-1761, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-024-02827-3 (IF2022=3.8).
  • Dlouhá D., Ullmann J., Takács L., Nouzová K., Hrbáčková H., Šeda J., Kaňková Š. (2024) Comparing disgust sensitivity in women in early pregnancy and non-pregnant women in the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle. Evolution and Human Behavior 45(2): 164-174, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2024.01.006 (IF2022=5.1)
  • Kaňková Š., Hlaváčová J., Roberts K., Benešová J., Havlíček J., Calda P., Dlouhá D., Roberts S.C. (2023) Associations between nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, disgust sensitivity, and first-trimester maternal serum free β-hCG and PAPP-A. Hormones and Behavior 152: 105360, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105360 (IF2021=3.492).
  • Roberts K., Havlíček J., Kaňková Š., Klapilová K., Roberts S.C. (2023) Testing effects of partner support and use of oral contraception during relationship formation on severity of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 23: 175, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-023-05468-x (IF2021=3.105).
  • Dlouhá D., Roberts, S.C., Hlaváčová J., Nouzová K., Kaňková Š. (2023) Longitudinal changes in disgust sensitivity during pregnancy and the early postpartum period, and the role of recent health problems. Scientific Reports 13: 4752, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-31060-6 (IF2021=4.996).
  • Kaňková Š.*, Takács L.*, Hlaváčová J., Calda P., Monk C., Havlíček J. (2023) Disgust sensitivity in early pregnancy as a response to high pathogen risk. Frontiers in Psychology 14: 1015927, https://doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1015927 (IF2021=4.234); *autoři mají stejný podíl na článku
  • Tong WH, Hlaváčová J, Abdulai-Saiku S, Kaňková Š, Flegr J, Vyas A (2023): Presence of Toxoplasma gondii tissue cysts in human semen: Toxoplasmosis as a potential sexually transmissible infection. Journal of Infection 86: 60-65, doi: 10.1016/j.jinf.2022.10.034 (IF2021=38.637).
  • Kaňková Š., Takács L., Krulová M., Hlaváčová J., Nouzová K., Hill M., Včelák J., Monkg C. (2022) Disgust sensitivity is negatively associated with immune system activity in early pregnancy: Direct support for the Compensatory prophylaxis hypothesis. Evolution and Human Behavior 43: 234-241, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2022.02.001 (IF2021=5.327).
  • Hlaváčová J., Flegr J., Fiurašková, K., Kaňková Š. (2021) Relationship between latent toxoplasmosis and depression in clients of a Center for Assisted Reproduction. Pathogens 10: 1052, https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10081052 (IF2020=3.492).
  • Hlaváčová J., Flegr J., Řežábek K., Calda P., Kaňková Š. (2021) Association between latent toxoplasmosis and fertility parameters of men. Andrology 9(3): 854-862, https://doi.org/10.1111/andr.12969 (IF2020=3.842).
  • Hlaváčová J., Flegr J., Řežábek K., Calda P., Kaňková Š. (2020) Male-to-female presumed transmission of toxoplasmosis between sexual partners. American Journal of Epidemiology 190(3): 386-392, https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwaa198 (IF2019=4.526).
  • Kaňková Š., Hlaváčová J., Flegr J. (2020) Oral sex: A new, and possibly the most dangerous, route of toxoplasmosis transmission, Medical Hypotheses 141, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2020.109725 (IF2019=1.375).
  • Kaňková Š., Flegr J., Toman J., Calda P. (2020) Maternal RhD heterozygous genotype is associated with male biased secondary sex ratio. Early Human Development 140: 104864, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2019.104864 (IF2019=1.969).
  • Flegr J., Kaňková Š. (2020) The effects of toxoplasmosis on sex ratio at birth. Early Human Development 141: 104874, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2019.104874 (IF2019=1.969).