scholarly journals The Role of Gut Microbiota in Gastrointestinal Symptoms of Children with ASD

Medicina ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (8) ◽  
pp. 408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agustín Ernesto Martínez-González ◽  
Pedro Andreo-Martínez
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽  
Repetitive Behavior ◽  
Gastrointestinal Symptoms ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Gi Symptoms

Background and objectives: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired communication, social interaction disorder, and repetitive behavior. Dysbiotic gut microbiota (GM) could be a contributing factor to the appearance of ASD, as gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are comorbidities frequently reported in ASD. As there is a lack of reviews about the role played by GM in the GI symptoms of ASD, this work aimed to carry out a systematic review of current studies comparing the GM of children with ASD and GI symptoms with those of healthy controls in the last six years. Materials and Methods: The systematic review was performed following the PRISMA guidelines. The databases chosen were Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and PsycINFO, and the keywords were (gut* OR intestine* OR bowel* OR gastrointestinal*) AND (microbiota* OR microflora* OR bacteria* OR microbiome* OR flora* OR bacterial* OR bacteria* OR microorganism* OR feces* OR stool*) AND (autistic* OR autism* OR ASD*). Results: A total of 16 articles were included. Ten articles performed correlations analysis between GI symptoms and ASD. Among those 10 articles, 7 found differences between the GI symptoms present in children with ASD and healthy controls. The most common GI symptom was constipation. Among the seven articles that found differences, three performed correlations analysis between GI symptoms and gut microbe abundance. Candida, Prevotella, Streptococcus, and Veillonella showed higher and lower abundance, respectively, in children with ASD and GI symptoms in more than one article. Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Actinomyces, Dorea, Lactobacillus, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, and Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratios showed abundance discrepancies. Conclusions: It is still too early to draw a conclusion about the gut microbes involved in GI symptoms of ASD. Future research should consider the relationship between ASD behavior, GM, and GI symptoms in a multidisciplinary way and homogenize sample characteristics.

scholarly journals Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Relieves Gastrointestinal and Autism Symptoms by Improving the Gut Microbiota in an Open-Label Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ning Li ◽  
Hongyan Chen ◽  
Yi Cheng ◽  
Fenghua Xu ◽  
Guangcong Ruan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trial ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Fecal Microbiota Transplantation ◽  
Gastrointestinal Symptoms ◽  
Fecal Microbiota ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Autism Symptoms ◽  
Clinical Trial Registry ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Gi Symptoms

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a severe brain development disorder that is characterized by deficits in social communication and restricted, repetitive and stereotyped behaviors. Accumulating evidence has suggested that gut microbiota disorders play important roles in gastrointestinal symptoms and neurodevelopmental dysfunction in ASD patients. Manipulation of the gut microbiota by fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) was recently shown to be a promising therapy for the treatment of various diseases. Here, we performed a clinical trial to evaluate the effect of FMT on gastrointestinal (GI) and ASD symptoms and gut microbiota alterations in children with ASD. We found that there was a large difference in baseline characteristics of behavior, GI symptoms, and gut microbiota between children with ASD and typically developing (TD) control children. FMT could improve GI symptoms and ASD symptoms without inducing any severe complications. Similarly, FMT significantly changed the serum levels of neurotransmitters. We further observed that FMT could promote the colonization of donor microbes and shift the bacterial community of children with ASD toward that of TD controls. The abundance of Eubacterium coprostanoligenes pre-FMT was positively correlated with high GSRS scores, whereas a decrease in Eubacterium coprostanoligenes abundance induced by FMT was associated with the FMT response. Our data suggest that FMT might be a promising therapeutic strategy to improve the GI and behavioral symptoms of patients with ASD, possibly due to its ability to alter gut microbiota and highlight a specific microbiota intervention that targets Eubacterium coprostanoligenes that can enhance the FMT response. This trial was registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (www.chictr.org.cn) (trial registration number ChiCTR1800014745).

scholarly journals Imbalance in the Gut Microbiota of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongfang Ding ◽  
Xinhao Yi ◽  
Xiaohua Zhang ◽  
Hui Wang ◽  
Hui Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Gi Symptoms ◽  
Autistic Symptoms

BackgroundAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) are complex behavioral changes manifesting early in childhood, which impacts how an individual perceives and socializes with others. The study aims to assess the disparities in gut microbiota (GM) amongst healthy controls and children with ASD.MethodsThe study was performed on 25 children with ASD and 20 healthy children. Autistic symptoms were diagnosed and assessed with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders and the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC). Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms were assessed with a GI Severity Index (GSI) questionnaire. The fecal bacteria composition was investigated by the high−throughput sequencing of the V3–V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. The alpha diversity was estimated using the Shannon, Chao, and ACE indexes. The unweighted UniFrac analysis and the PCA plots were used to represent the beta diversity. LDA and LEfSe were used to assess the effect sizes of each abundant differential taxon.ResultsChildren with high GSI scores had much higher ATEC Total scores than those with lower GSI-scores. GI symptoms were strongly associated with symptoms of ASD. There was no difference in Chao, ACE, and Shannon indexes between ASD patients and healthy controls. Both groups showed a significant microbiota structure clustering in the plotted PCAs and significant differences in its composition at the family, order, genus, and phyla levels. There were also noteworthy overall relative differences in Actinobacteria and Firmicutes between both groups.ConclusionsThis study shows the relationship between the clinical manifestations of Autistic symptoms and GI symptoms. ASD patients have dysbiosis of gut microbiota, which may be related to the onset of ASD. These findings may be beneficial for developing ASD symptoms by changing gut microbiota.

scholarly journals A Review of the Efficacy of the Dietary Intervention in Autism Spectrum Disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (F) ◽  
pp. 88-94
Author(s):  
Zainab Taha ◽  
Khalid A. Abdalhai
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Dietary Intervention ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽  
Food Additives ◽  
Gastrointestinal Symptoms ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Omega 3 ◽  
Dietary Interventions ◽  
Children With Asd

BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is an early-onset neurodevelopmental disorder with 1 in 68 children prevalence. The key symptoms of ASD include social deficits, verbal and non-verbal communication deficits, and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. For unknown reasons, gastrointestinal symptoms are related to ASD. The aim of the current paper is to review the available literature on dietary interventions in children with ASD and provide up-to-date evidence. METHODS: Searches in online databases, using the search terms’ dietary intervention, “autism spectrum disorders,” and “autism” were conducted. The search targeted publications ranging from 2010 to 2020. RESULTS: Twenty-six studies with different study designs which evaluated the effectiveness of specific dietary interventions in children with ASD were included in our review. Several dietary interventions were of popular practice in the management of children with ASD, including elimination (gluten-/casein-free diet and oligoantigenic diet), modification (modified ketogenic diet), supplementation (minerals, vitamins, omega 3, and omega 6), and exclusion (food additives). Studies showed different results with varying degrees of evidence. Overall, data were inadequate to make accurate conclusions. CONCLUSION: There is little evidence to support the use of dietary interventions for children with ASD. Additional high-quality studies and further research are, therefore, needed.

scholarly journals 2288 Neural correlates of face processing in autism spectrum disorder: A quantitative meta-analysis of current literature and future directions

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (S1) ◽  
pp. 21-22
Author(s):  
Carla J. Ammons ◽  
Mary-Elizabeth Winslett ◽  
Rajesh K. Kana
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Face Processing ◽  
Repetitive Behavior ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Specific Level

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects 1 in 68 people and includes restricted, repetitive behavior, and social communication deficits. Aspects of face processing (i.e., identity, emotion perception) are impaired in some with ASD. Neuroimaging studies have shown aberrant patterns of brain activation and connectivity of face processing regions. However, small sample sizes and inconsistent results have hindered clinical utility of these findings. The study aims to establish consistent patterns of brain responses to faces in ASD and provide directions for future research. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Neuroimaging studies were identified through a multi-database search according to PRISMA guidelines. In total, 23 studies were retained for a sample size of 383 healthy controls and 345 ASD. Peak coordinates were extracted for activation likelihood estimation (ALE) in GingerALE v2.3.6. Follow-up ALE analyses investigated directed Versus undirected gaze, static Versus dynamic, emotional Versus neutral, and familiar Versus unfamiliar faces. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Faces produced bilateral activation of the fusiform gyrus (FG) in healthy controls (−42 −52 −20; 22 −74 −12, p<0.05, FDR) and left FG activation in ASD (−42 −54 −16, p<0.05, FDR). Activation in both groups was lateral to the mid-fusiform sulcus. Follow-up results pending. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Reduced right FG activation to faces may inform biomarker or response to intervention studies. Mid-fusiform sulcus proved a reliable predictor of functional divides should be investigated on a subject-specific level.

scholarly journals Altered Gut Microbiota in Korean Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 3300
Author(s):  
Sungji Ha ◽  
Donghun Oh ◽  
Sunghee Lee ◽  
Jaewan Park ◽  
Jaeun Ahn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Short Chain Fatty Acids ◽  
Bioinformatic Analysis ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Korean Children ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Genetic Information Processing ◽  
Behavioral Impairments

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social and behavioral impairments. Recent studies have suggested that gut microbiota play a critical role in ASD pathogenesis. Herein, we investigated the fecal microflora of Korean ASD children to determine gut microbiota profiles associated with ASD. Specifically, fecal samples were obtained from 54 children with ASD and 38 age-matched children exhibiting typical development. Systematic bioinformatic analysis revealed that the composition of gut microbiota differed between ASD and typically developing children (TDC). Moreover, the total amounts of short-chain fatty acids, metabolites produced by bacteria, were increased in ASD children. At the phylum level, we found a significant decrease in the relative Bacteroidetes abundance of the ASD group, whereas Actinobacteria abundance was significantly increased. Furthermore, we found significantly lower Bacteroides levels and higher Bifidobacterium levels in the ASD group than in the TDC group at the genus level. Functional analysis of the microbiota in ASD children predicted that several pathways, including genetic information processing and amino acid metabolism, can be associated with ASD pathogenesis. Although more research is needed to determine whether the differences between ASD and TDC are actually related to ASD pathogenesis, these results provide further evidence of altered gut microbiota in children with ASD, possibly providing new perspectives on the diagnosis and therapeutic approaches for ASD patients.

scholarly journals Gut microbiota on gender bias in autism spectrum disorder

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xia Hao ◽  
Jiao Pan ◽  
Xiumei Gao ◽  
Shiyu Zhang ◽  
Yue Li
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽  
Repetitive Behavior ◽  
Specific Treatment ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Communication Disorder ◽  
Gender Dimorphism ◽  
Men And Women

AbstractAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder. Its three core symptoms are social communication disorder, communication disorder, narrow interest and stereotyped repetitive behavior. The proportion of male and female autistic patients is 4:1. Many researchers have studied this phenomenon, but the mechanism is still unclear. This review mainly discusses the related mechanism from the perspective of gut microbiota and introduces the influence of gut microbiota on the difference of ASD between men and women, as well as how gut microbiota may affect the gender dimorphism of ASD through metabolite of microbiota, immunity, and genetics, which provide some useful information for those who are interested in this research and find more gender-specific treatment for autistic men and women.

scholarly journals Autism, Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Modulation of Gut Microbiota by Nutritional Interventions

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 2812 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Vittoria Ristori ◽  
Andrea Quagliariello ◽  
Sofia Reddel ◽  
Gianluca Ianiro ◽  
Stefano Vicari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Gastrointestinal Symptoms ◽  
Gut Hormones ◽  
Nutritional Intervention ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Dietary Factors ◽  
Microbiota Composition ◽  
Nutritional Interventions ◽  
Inflammatory Conditions ◽  
Gi Symptoms

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex behavioral syndrome that is characterized by speech and language disorders, intellectual impairment, learning and motor dysfunctions. Several genetic and environmental factors are suspected to affect the ASD phenotype including air pollution, exposure to pesticides, maternal infections, inflammatory conditions, dietary factors or consumption of antibiotics during pregnancy. Many children with ASD shows abnormalities in gastrointestinal (GI) physiology, including increased intestinal permeability, overall microbiota alterations, and gut infection. Moreover, they are “picky eaters” and the existence of specific sensory patterns in ASD patients could represent one of the main aspects in hampering feeding. GI disorders are associated with an altered composition of the gut microbiota. Gut microbiome is able to communicate with brain activities through microbiota-derived signaling molecules, immune mediators, gut hormones as well as vagal and spinal afferent neurons. Since the diet induces changes in the intestinal microbiota and in the production of molecules, such as the SCFA, we wanted to investigate the role that nutritional intervention can have on GI microbiota composition and thus on its influence on behavior, GI symptoms and microbiota composition and report which are the beneficial effect on ASD conditions.

scholarly journals Zonulin-Dependent Intestinal Permeability in Children Diagnosed with Mental Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 1982 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birna Asbjornsdottir ◽  
Heiddis Snorradottir ◽  
Edda Andresdottir ◽  
Alessio Fasano ◽  
Bertrand Lauth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Intestinal Permeability ◽  
Barrier Function ◽  
Observational Studies ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Gi Symptoms

Worldwide, up to 20% of children and adolescents experience mental disorders, which are the leading cause of disability in young people. Research shows that serum zonulin levels are associated with increased intestinal permeability (IP), affecting neural, hormonal, and immunological pathways. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarize evidence from observational studies on IP in children diagnosed with mental disorders. The review follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A systematic search of the Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, PubMed, and the Web of Science identified 833 records. Only non-intervention (i.e., observational) studies in children (<18 years) diagnosed with mental disorders, including a relevant marker of intestinal permeability, were included. Five studies were selected, with the risk of bias assessed according to the Newcastle–Ottawa scale (NOS). Four articles were identified as strong and one as moderate, representing altogether 402 participants providing evidence on IP in children diagnosed with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). In ADHD, elevated serum zonulin levels were associated with impaired social functioning compared to controls. Children with ASD may be predisposed to impair intestinal barrier function, which may contribute to their symptoms and clinical outcome compared to controls. Children with ASD, who experience gastro-intestinal (GI) symptoms, seem to have an imbalance in their immune response. However, in children with OCD, serum zonulin levels were not significantly different compared to controls, but serum claudin-5, a transmembrane tight-junction protein, was significantly higher. A meta-analysis of mean zonulin plasma levels of patients and control groups revealed a significant difference between groups (p = 0.001), including the four studies evaluating the full spectrum of the zonulin peptide family. Therefore, further studies are required to better understand the complex role of barrier function, i.e., intestinal and blood–brain barrier, and of inflammation, to the pathophysiology in mental and neurodevelopmental disorders. This review was PROSPERO preregistered, (162208).

scholarly journals Prebiotic, Probiotic, and Synbiotic Consumption Alter Behavioral Variables and Intestinal Permeability and Microbiota in BTBR Mice

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 1833
Author(s):  
Jodi E. Nettleton ◽  
Teja Klancic ◽  
Alana Schick ◽  
Ashley C. Choo ◽  
Ning Cheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Intestinal Permeability ◽  
Lactobacillus Reuteri ◽  
Repetitive Behavior ◽  
Gastrointestinal Symptoms ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Repetitive Behaviors ◽  
Gut Health ◽  
Behavioral Variables ◽  
Gut Microbiota Composition

Given that prebiotics have been shown to improve gut microbiota composition, gastrointestinal symptoms and select behaviors in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), we hypothesized that prebiotic supplementation would improve sociability, communication, and repetitive behaviors in a murine model of ASD. We also examined the effect of a synbiotic (probiotic + prebiotic). Juvenile male BTBR mice were randomized to: (1) control; (2) probiotic (1 × 1010 CFU/d Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14®; now known as Limosilactobacillus reuteri); (3) prebiotic (10% oligofructose-enriched inulin); (4) prebiotic + probiotic (n = 12/group) administered through food for 3 weeks. Sociability, communication, repetitive behavior, intestinal permeability and gut microbiota were assessed. Probiotic and symbiotic treatments improved sociability (92 s and 70 s longer in stranger than empty chamber) and repetitive behaviors (50% lower frequency), whereas prebiotic intake worsened sociability (82 s less in stranger chamber) and increased the total time spent self-grooming (96 s vs. 80 s CTR), but improved communication variables (4.6 ms longer call duration and 4 s higher total syllable activity). Mice consuming probiotics or synbiotics had lower intestinal permeability (30% and 15% lower than CTR). Prebiotic, probiotic, and symbiotic treatments shifted gut microbiota to taxa associated with improved gut health. L.reuteri may help alleviate ASD behavioral symptom severity and improve gut health. The potential use of prebiotics in an ASD population warrants further research.

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