In the first published example of how the gut may play a role in autism, scientists have found that a "fecal transplant" helped to substantially improve behavior and gastrointestinal health in children with the neurodevelopmental disorder.
The research involved a very small number of children _ 18 _ with autism who also had severe gastrointestinal problems. Researchers at the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University theorized that by rebooting the children's intestinal "microbiome," the flora that inhabits the gut, they would be able to improve symptoms of autism. To their surprise, rebalancing the bacteria in the gut had a lasting effect two years after the treatment for most of the participants, all of whom were under the age of 18.
Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown, lead author of the research at Arizona State, noted that results from the analysis add credence to the theory of a gut-brain axis in autism, which means bacteria in the intestines influence the brain.
