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Recent studies have linked autism to the dysregulation of the immune response and the modification of the composition of the microbiome. "This has led to growing speculation about the potential roles for hyperactive immune responses and the microbiome in autism," the authors write. "However, the way in which microbiome-immune crosstalk contributes to neurodevelopmental disorders is still poorly understood."
The relationship between the maternal microbiome and the development of the fetus is obviously complex. "The microbiome can shape the developing brain in many ways," says Dr. Lukens. "The microbiome is really important for calibrating how the immune system of the offspring will respond to an infection or injury or stress."
Turning to an autism mouse MIA model to study this in more detail, the researchers identified they describe as "critical roles for the composition of the prenatal microbiota in the development of behavioral abnormalities". They showed that changing the maternal microbiome increased the risk of developing autistic-like disorders in children. "We show that microbiota transplantation before conception can transfer susceptibility to the neurodevelopmental disease badociated with MIA and that it is badociated with modulation of the maternal immune response," they state
. by modifying the mother's diet, taking personalized probiotics, or by fecal transplantation. More specifically, studies of UVA researchers have shown that direct blockage of IL-17a in pregnant mice effectively prevented the development of a neurodevelopmental disease badociated with MIA in their pups, although scientists acknowledge that it might be difficult to translate this approach into a clinic. 19659002] "If you think about pregnancy, the body basically accepts foreign tissue, which is a baby," notes Dr. Lukens: "Therefore, maintaining embryonic health requires a complex balance of immune regulation. IL-17a has been implicated in other conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and psoriasis, and there are already drugs that block the cytokine. Inhibition of IL-17a during pregnancy "could make you vulnerable to all kinds of infections", which could have additional effects on fetal development. nt, notes Dr. Lukens
Next, researchers are looking to study more closely the impact of the microbiome of pregnancy on neurodevelopment and autism. "In terms of translating our work to humans, I think the next big step would be to identify the characteristics of the microbiome in pregnant women that correlate with the risk of autism," comments Dr. Lukens. What kind of things can be used to modulate the mother's microbiome as effectively and safely as possible. "
The researchers also aim to evaluate whether any other immune triggers are involved in the development of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders.]! Function (f, b, e, v, n, t, s)
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