The Gut-Brain Axis is IN, big time..

A lot of recent research focuses on how the gut microbial flora changes during disease states and another team has now shown that individuals with autism have less diversity in terms of the microbes (bacteria of the genera Prevotella, Coprococcus, and unclassified Veillonellaceae involved in  carbohydrate-degradation and/or fermentation) that are residing in their gut and that this may affect part of their behavior.

Previous research has already shown that in an animal model of autism, mouse pups develop a ‘leaky gut’ (more molecules from the gut leak into the blood, including inflammatory ones). One of the factors that was found to be increased was 4-ethylphenylsulphate (4-EPS, similar to paracresol), a molecule that increased anxiety when injected into healthy mice.

Probiotic treatment using B. fragilis of the mice resulted in a normal functioning gut after 5 weeks, the mice were less anxious, reduced their repetitive behavior and communicated more.

However,  socially challenging the mice, by placing a new mouse in the cage, elicited the same reaction as before. This suggests that the probiotic treatment is not the cure, but could be used to alleviate some features of the disease in individuals with gastrointestinal problems.