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.