Common Gut Microbial Signatures in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder | JoVE Visualize

Area of Science:

Microbiome research
Neurodevelopmental disorders
Pediatric health

Background:

Gut microbiota's role in neurodevelopmental disorders like autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is under investigation but not fully understood.
Specific microbial compositions and functions in children with ASD and ADHD require further identification.

Purpose of the Study:

To analyze and compare the gut microbiota composition and function in children diagnosed with ASD, ADHD, or both, against healthy controls.
To identify microbial signatures that can differentiate between neurodevelopmental disorders and typical development.

Main Methods:

16S rRNA sequencing was performed on stool samples from 113 children with ASD, 43 with ADHD, 8 with both, and 120 healthy controls (ages 2-11).
Statistical analyses were used to identify differences in microbial composition, function, and network structures based on clinical diagnosis, age, comorbidities, and other factors.
Machine learning models were employed to assess the discriminatory power of gut microbial signatures.

Main Results:

Clinical diagnosis, age, comorbidities, food sensitivities, and antibiotic use were significant factors influencing gut microbiota.
Children with neurodevelopmental disorders exhibited greater microbial heterogeneity and increased Bifidobacterium abundance compared to controls.
A total of 4899 deregulated microbial metabolic functions were identified, alongside a divergent genus-level microbial network in patients.
Gut microbial signatures demonstrated high accuracy in discriminating patients from healthy controls in discovery (AUC: 0.95-0.98) and validation (AUC: 0.69-0.74) sets.

Conclusions:

Gut microbial signatures can effectively differentiate children with ASD and ADHD from healthy controls, suggesting diagnostic potential.
While ASD and ADHD share some gut microbial characteristics, distinct bacterial species and their metabolic functions may contribute differently to disease pathogenesis.