Could a treatment for autism be found in the gut? Dae-Wook Kang of the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University and colleagues evaluated 23 children with and 21 children without a diagnosis of autism for colorectal microbes and metabolites previously associated with autism. Children with autism had less microbial species variations and had different types of microbes compared to the children without autism. Seven out of 50 metabolites were different in the children with autism, which could mean that these metabolites may be connected to gut-to-brain communication and/or altering brain function. The researchers hope to conduct additional research of fecal transplants in children with autism to study the colon-microbe connection.
Bacteria living in the intestines and colon may affect symptoms of autism by breaking down important message-carrying chemicals, researchers reported Monday. They found that children with autism have a very different make-up when it comes to gut germs, compared to children without autism. They also looked at metabolites – the breakdown products – that have been linked with autism.
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