A single species of gut bacteria can reverse autism-related social behavior in mice

[antares4141]

https://fromthelabs.bcm.edu/2016/07...verse-autism-related-social-behavior-in-mice/

 

[sarah darwins]

To save others looking, the key bit is probably:

Whole-genome shotgun sequencing revealed one type of bacteria, Lactobacillus reuteri, which was reduced more than nine-fold in the microbiome of mice born to mothers on the high-fat diet.

“We cultured a strain of L. reuteri originally isolated from human breast milk and introduced it into the water of the high-fat-diet offspring. We found that treatment with this single bacterial strain was able to rescue their social behavior,” Buffington says. Other ASD-related behaviors, such as anxiety, were not restored by the reconstitution of the bacteria. Interestingly, the authors found that L. reuteri also promoted the production of the “bonding hormone” oxytocin, which is known to play a crucial role in social behavior and has been associated with autism in humans.

 

[ScottTriGuy]

IIRC, I listened to a podcast that also mentioned that there was a window of development in which introducing the bacteria reversed symptoms, but after that window, there was no effect.

 

[Beyond]

IIRC, I listened to a podcast that also mentioned that there was a window of development in which introducing the bacteria reversed symptoms, but after that window, there was no effect.

That makes perfect sense knowing what we know of autism. Some of it will never be recovered, once one is old enough. I have Asperger´s whence my interest in the field.