Study: The intestinal disorder can exacerbate the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder

A study conducted by the University of Southern California in the United States revealed that the imbalance of gut bacteria in children with autism can lead to a disorder in the levels of substances arising from metabolism, known as “intestinal receptors”, which in turn affects the production of neurotransmitter, and it contributes to the rise of behavioral imposition. The study published in the journal “Nature Communications” added a new guide to increased research on the role of the “gut brain axis” in autism spectrum disorder, which opens the door for potential treatments aimed at improving bowel health to relieve symptoms. The “gut-brain axis” is one of the most exciting scientific concepts in recent years, as it reveals a complex and dynamic relationship between digestion and the central nervous systems. This axis depends on a double direction network that includes nerves, hormones, immune system and intestinal microbium consisting of beneficial bacteria trillion living in the intestines. New research has indicated that this relationship plays a decisive role, not only in digestion and metabolism, but also in mental health, mood, behavior and even neurological diseases such as autism, depression and Parkinson. The link between the intestines and the brain said the first author of the study, Lisa Aziz Zadeh, a professor at the Institute of Brain and Creativity at the University of Southern California, said intestinal receptors affect the brain, which in turn affects the behavior. She added: “In other words, the brain is the mediator between the health of the intestines and the behavior associated with autism, and previous studies have indicated that differences in the intestinal microbium and the structure of the brain are in people with autism, but our research connects these elements.” She pointed out that the idea of ​​”the link between the bowels and the brain” is not far from reality, and explains that the intestines from an evolutionary point of view were the “first brain” of people. The intestines contain a number of neurons that exceed those in the spinal cord, and 90% of the nervous signals between the intestines and the brain are transferred from the intestines to the brain, while only 10% are transferred in the opposite direction. This ongoing communication is explained by the reason why we sometimes feel ‘intestine intuition’, or we connect feelings to the sensation in the stomach, a phenomenon known as ‘internal feeling’. The researchers analyzed the data of 84 children (43 with autism, and 41 normal children), between the ages of 8 and 17, while collecting faeces samples to analyze the receptors of the gut bacteria, a brain portrayal of the evaluation of nervousness, in addition to a behavioral assessment of symptoms. The study focused on the path of tryptophan that produces serotonin, the neurotransmitter that affects the mood, learning, social interaction and cognitive functions, as the results revealed that there is an imbalance in the balance of intestinal interlocuties in children with autism, which led to changes in the production of the brain activity and behavior. The treatment of bowel health and autism said that improving bowel health may be a key to developing more effective treatments for autism, but researchers have emphasized the need for more research to understand the accurate mechanisms of this association. The author, Sophienia Ringuld, sees the ability to develop treatments that depend on the improvement of bowel health to change nerve activity and behavior. She said this approach “could help reduce some annoying symptoms for children with autism, such as digestive problems and repeated behavior.”