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Mysteries of the Microbiome

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In the first of a two-part series on digestive health in ASD, Mia Kotikovski summarizes scientific information about what the complicated microbiome is, how it influences physical and psychiatric health, if it is altered in autism, and what causes it to be different in ASD.

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What’s in the medicine jar?

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This week is a pharmacopeia of inflation. The #ASFpodcast talks debilitating gastrointestinal issues and new efforts to understand and treat them (including the CANDID meeting www.candidgi.com), a new method to understand adverse events in those that cannot report them on their own, and new news on Celexa, which is used to treat anxiety.

www.candidgi.com

info@candidgi.com

https://www.theautismstudy.com

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35165451/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35501967/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34652075/

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You asked, we answered: what is the connection between the ‘gut’ and the brain?

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On this week’s podcast, we answer your question: “what’s the evidence of a gut-brain connection”? We can’t answer that question without starting off with a description of the microbiome. The microbiome is the colony of organisms in your gastrointestinal system that is showing increasing evidence of influencing brain function. We asked three experts: Calliope Holingue from JHSPH, Helen Vuong from UCLA and Stewart Campbell of Axial Therapeutics what is happening in research around the microbiome in autism, and what therapeutics are being developed to help those with GI issues and ASD.

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Yeah, another study about autistic poop

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This week’s podcast includes a summary of the new study, this time in an animal model, looking at microbiome transplantation.  Because this was more of an experimental model, the researchers could be more rigorous in their design and look at things like behavior, brain activity, and specific biological pathways.  While a mouse does not have autism, transplantation of the autism microbiome resulted in autistic-like behaviors.   Second, a hopeful message of the value of participating in research on outcomes – those infants that were tracked prospectively showed improved outcomes later on, suggesting that all of the extra attention they get leads to a reduction in symptoms and an improvement in adaptive behavior.  Even if you do not have a family history of autism – participate in research.  It’s good for your child, and it’s good for other people’s children.

 

https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(19)30502-1 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31032937

 

 

 

 

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This study is s**t

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You may have heard on the internet that a new “radical” treatment leads to a “50% reduction” in autism symptoms.  This radical treatment is fecal transplants, which is taking the bacteria from the feces from one person and putting them in another person.  This is a still experimental treatment, and while the microbiome should be researched more in regards to its relationship to autism, there might be a less invasive way to alter the microbiome which could stand up to the rigor of a well designed trial.  Also this week, new prevalence data on 4 year olds across multiple years.  Did it change across time, and is it different from 8 year olds, and why is this difference important?

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30967657

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30973853

 

 

 

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Scientists know in their gut how the GI symptoms are linked to autism

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People with autism have higher levels of GI problems then people without a diagnosis, and the microbiome is associated with GI function, so is the microbiome linked to autism?  Some studies say yes, but this week studies in China look at non-caucasian people eating different diet.  Do the differences still hold?  Also, while GI  symptoms have been studied in relation to core autism features, they have not yet been linked to psychiatric issues like anxiety, ADHD, and aggression.  Until now.  This week’s podcast features three new studies looking GI issues and the causes of those issues, in kids with autism.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6204460/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30394313

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6143520/