More on that Korea Daily mess. Plus early detection of ASD does improve outcomes.

This podcast was going to be dedicated to new early detection research which shows what the USPSTF has been looking for – the link between early detection, early intervention, and improved outcomes in a community setting.  Those findings are still included this week, but there is a slight diversion in theme.  The podcast will also include  an explanation of the immune/microbiome study published in Nature and misrepresented  by Korea Daily.  The study is important, however, the media sensationalized the findings and did the research no favors by labeling it a “major cause”.   Learn what the study did and what it actually discovered in this week’s podcast.

 

Here are the references of the studies mentioned in the podcast:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28902840

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28905160

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27474118

 

 

What is the microbiome and why should families with ASD care?

This week’s ASF Podcast is a special interview with Dr. Gil Sharon from CalTech, who studies the microbiome in animal models and potential link to ASD.  The microbiome is the full community of bacteria that live in our bodies and outnumber cells 10-1. They can affect the genome directly and they can respond to environmental factors which means they may be a site for important gene x environment interactions in autism.  Some people with ASD, especially those with gastrointestinal problems, show alterations in the microbiome and more and more scientists are starting to incorporate studying this complex system into their research.  Most importantly, new research is suggesting potential for probiotic therapies to not only treat GI symptoms, but also core autism symptoms.  If you like the podcast, Dr. Sharon has provided a list of resources which can provide more detail:

Interventions in mice –

Hsiao, E.Y., McBride, S.W., Hsien, S., Sharon, G., Hyde, E.R., McCue, T., Codelli, J.A., Chow, J., Reisman, S.E., Petrosino, J.F., et al. (2013). Microbiota modulate behavioral and physiological abnormalities associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. Cell 155, 1451–1463.

Buffington, S.A., Di Prisco, G.V., Auchtung, T.A., Ajami, N.J., Petrosino, J.F., and Costa-Mattioli, M. (2016). Microbial Reconstitution Reverses Maternal Diet-Induced Social and Synaptic Deficits in Offspring. Cell 165, 1762–1775.

Intervention in humans –

Kang, D.-W., Adams, J.B., Gregory, A.C., Borody, T., Chittick, L., Fasano, A., Khoruts, A., Geis, E., Maldonado, J., McDonough-Means, S., et al. (2017). Microbiota Transfer Therapy alters gut ecosystem and improves gastrointestinal and autism symptoms: an open-label study. Microbiome 5, 10.

Microbiome profiling –

Gondalia, S.V., Palombo, E.A., Knowles, S.R., Cox, S.B., Meyer, D., and Austin, D.W. (2012). Molecular characterisation of gastrointestinal microbiota of children with autism (with and without gastrointestinal dysfunction) and their neurotypical siblings. Autism Res. 5, 419–427.

De Angelis, M., Piccolo, M., Vannini, L., Siragusa, S., De Giacomo, A., Serrazzanetti, D.I., Cristofori, F., Guerzoni, M.E., Gobbetti, M., and Francavilla, R. (2013). Fecal microbiota and metabolome of children with autism and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified. PLoS One 8, e76993.

Son, J.S., Zheng, L.J., Rowehl, L.M., Tian, X., Zhang, Y., Zhu, W., Litcher-Kelly, L., Gadow, K.D., Gathungu, G., Robertson, C.E., et al. (2015). Comparison of Fecal Microbiota in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Neurotypical Siblings in the Simons Simplex Collection. PLoS One 10, e0137725.

 

This type of autism is not like the other – and here is data to show it

Identifying subtypes for autism and narrowing down the heterogeneity of symptoms has been considered the holy grail of autism research.  If one person with autism is not like another person with autism, can they at least be put into groups to speed up studies into causes, intervention and services?  And how?  This podcast explains two different studies that used the same statistical method but different children with autism to identify different groups.  One of the things that helped define these groups was verbal ability and IQ.  For the first time, comorbid symptoms like medical issues and psychiatric diagnoses  are being taken into account.  Already, this approach is helping scientists better understand why fever improves symptoms in some people with autism.

What does Labor Day mean for people with ASD?

Labor Day is a time to appreciate and honor all those people who work to make this world a better place.  People with autism do that, but they also want to get paid and be employed just like anyone else.  This Labor Day, the podcast summarizes challenges to studying employment in people with ASD, what we know, and what is being done in a collaboration between ASF, Curtin University in Australia, the Karolinska Institute and Stony Brook University in Long Island. This is the INSAR supported policy brief project that will be completed next year, but you will all be receiving a request to fill out a survey about employment in the coming weeks.  In addition, what does employment mean for people with autism?  A NY Times article recently highlighted the journey from childhood to adulthood and what having a job means.