Microbiota Influence on Autism Spectrum Disorders

Research over the past decade has revealed that the gut microbiota plays a pivotal role in shaping neurodevelopmental trajectories and modulating behaviours associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Alterations in microbial composition and function—collectively described as dysbiosis—have been linked to gastrointestinal comorbidities often observed in ASD, including constipation, diarrhoea and increased intestinal permeability. Through microbial metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids and indole derivatives, the gut community communicates with the central nervous system via the gut–brain axis, influencing immune signalling, neurotransmitter synthesis and synaptic pruning. Integrative multi-omic approaches now map how specific taxa and their metabolic outputs correlate with the heterogeneity of ASD phenotypes, offering new avenues for predictive biomarkers and targeted interventions that harness host–microbe interactions to improve both gastrointestinal and behavioural outcomes.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have built integrative multi-omic frameworks that reveal ASD-associated molecular and microbial architectures along the gut–brain axis, delineating specific bacterial taxa and metabolite profiles correlating with phenotypic heterogeneity. In age- and sex-matched cohorts, key taxa within genera such as Prevotella, Bifidobacterium, Desulfovibrio and Bacteroides encode distinct amino acid, carbohydrate and lipid pathways that align with pro-inflammatory signalling and brain gene expression changes. Additional work on long-term microbiota transfer therapy has demonstrated sustained improvements in gastrointestinal and behavioural symptoms alongside persistent increases in bacterial diversity and enrichments of commensals like Bifidobacteria and Prevotella more than two years post-treatment.

Microbiota Influence on Autism Spectrum Disorders publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in microbiota influence on autism spectrum disorders across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Gut–brain axis: Bi-directional communication network linking the enteric microbiota, immune system and central nervous system via neural, endocrine and metabolic pathways.

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs): Key microbial metabolites such as acetate, propionate and butyrate that modulate gut barrier function, immune signalling and neural activity.

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR): Ligand-activated transcription factor mediating host responses to microbial indoles and other environmental ligands, influencing immune and neural processes.

Microbiota Transfer Therapy (MTT): Multi-step intervention combining antibiotics, bowel cleanse and faecal microbiota transplant to reconstitute gut microbial communities.

Dysbiosis: Disruption of the normal composition or function of the gut microbiota, often associated with disease states.

References

1. Infant microbes and metabolites point to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders. Cell (2024).
2. Multi-level analysis of the gut–brain axis shows autism spectrum disorder-associated molecular and microbial profiles. Nature Neuroscience (2023).
3. Microbiota-indole 3-propionic acid-brain axis mediates abnormal synaptic pruning of hippocampal microglia and susceptibility to ASD in IUGR offspring. Microbiome (2023).
4. Human Gut Microbiota from Autism Spectrum Disorder Promote Behavioral Symptoms in Mice. Cell (2019).
5. Long-term benefit of Microbiota Transfer Therapy on autism symptoms and gut microbiota. Scientific Reports (2019).