Autism Spectrum Disorder Treatment by Controlling Gut Microbiome

Release Date: 09-Nov-2020

There has been a gradual increase in the number of children suffering from autism spectrum disorder. Till now, no permanent treatment has been approved by the US FDA for autism spectrum disorder. In a novel research, it has been found that microbiome in the gut could be used to treat autism spectrum disorder. One important approach that was used in the earlier studies was microbial transfer therapy which involved transfer of healthy microbiome to the autism spectrum disorder patients. This however led to improved gastrointestinal and behavioral symptoms of the disease.

A novel group of researchers have now studied the impact of metabolites in understanding the microorganisms affect on gastrointestinal symptoms and behaviour. It was found that levels of key metabolites in plasma became more similar to levels in typically-developing children, thereby suggesting that all this was the result of adjusting the constellation of bacteria to more closely resemble conditions in the normal healthy gut, which also included an increase in microbial diversity.

As per the researchers working on the clinical research, it was very innovative to identify difference in the level of metabolites in the children suffering from autism and other developing children as the study of metabolites could lead to improved transplant of microbiome in the patients. The future research work for the same will also lead to the understanding of the complex as well as important interactions that is happening in the microbiome as well as other neurological features connected with autism, in order to develop an effective treatment therapy for autistic children.