Scientists link autism with lack of gut bacteria

Mice raised without bacteria in the gut showed distinctly autistic patterns of behaviour, choosing to interact with objects more than other mice, scientists at University College Cork (UCC) have found.

Scientists say the finding shows the essential role gut bacteria plays in the development of normal social behaviour and they point out that gut problems are common in people with autism, a disorder characterised by alterations in social behaviour.

Professor Ted Dinan, professor of psychiatry and a principal investigator in the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre (APC) at UCC, said they had been studying the influence of gut bacteria on the brain for years and they had already established that the serotonin system, which plays a role in regulating mood, “doesn’t develop properly if you don’t have enough bacteria in the gut”.