Disruption of gut microbiome and metabolome in treatment-naïve children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 17, 2025
Intracerebroventricular Delivery of Gut-Derived Microbial Metabolites in Freely Moving Mice
Published on: June 2, 2022
Dingding Han1,2,3,4, Yuanyuan Zhang5, Wenxin Liu1,2
1Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai Children's Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200062, China.
Insights
Children with ADHD show gut bacteria imbalances and altered metabolites, particularly lower Bifidobacterium levels. This gut-brain axis connection may influence ADHD development and offers potential diagnostic and intervention targets.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Microbiology
- Metabolomics
Background:
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with increasing prevalence.
- Emerging research suggests a role for gut microbiota in ADHD development.
- The precise link between gut bacteria, metabolites, and ADHD in children is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the fecal microbiome, metabolome, lipidome, and plasma metabolome in children with ADHD compared to healthy controls.
- To identify specific microbial and metabolic alterations associated with ADHD.
- To explore the relationship between gut microbiota and neurotransmitter pathways in ADHD.
Main Methods:
- 16S rRNA gene sequencing for fecal microbiome analysis.
- Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) for metabolome and lipidome profiling.
- Comparison of 15 pairs of children with ADHD and healthy controls.
Main Results:
- Children with ADHD exhibited gut microbiota imbalance and dysregulated metabolites.
- Significantly lower abundance of Actinobacteria (e.g., Bifidobacterium) and higher Veillonella levels were observed in ADHD group.
- ADHD patients were not classified under enterotype 1, which exclusively comprised healthy children.
- Bifidobacterium genus, positively correlated with neurotransmitter precursor metabolites, may downregulate dopaminergic, serotonergic, and glutamatergic pathways.
Conclusions:
- Gut microbiota significantly impacts ADHD development via metabolic pathways.
- Findings suggest potential for gut microbiota-based diagnosis and intervention strategies for ADHD.
Background:
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with an increasing prevalence in children. Recent studies have suggested that the gut microbiota may play a significant role in the development of ADHD. However, the specific relationship between changes in intestinal bacteria and related metabolites in children with ADHD remains poorly understood.
Results:
In this study, we illustrated the fecal microbiome, metabolome and lipidome, as well as plasma metabolome using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and LC-MS in 15 pairs of children with ADHD and healthy controls. Our results revealed imbalance of gut microbiota and dysregulation of metabolites in individuals with ADHD. Specifically, children with ADHD exhibited significantly lower abundance of the Actinobacteria phylum, particularly Bifidobacterium, Corynebacterium and Actinomyces, while Veillonella in the Negativicutes class showed significant high level. No children with ADHD were classified under enterotype 1, which was composed solely of healthy children. Integration of multi-omics data suggested that the Bifidobacterium genus, which is positively correlated with various neurotransmitter precursor amino acid metabolites, may contribute to ADHD by downregulating pathways involving dopaminergic, serotonergic and glutamatergic systems.
Conclusions:
These findings highlight the crucial regulatory impact of gut microbiota in the development of ADHD through metabolic pathways, and provide a potential avenue to the diagnosis and intervention of ADHD.
More Related Videos
05:41Therapeutic Evaluation of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in an Interleukin 10-Deficient Mouse Model
Published on: April 6, 2022
10:02Event Related Potentials ERPs and other EEG Based Methods for Extracting Biomarkers of Brain Dysfunction: Examples from Pediatric Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder ADHD
Published on: March 12, 2020
Related Concept Videos
01:30Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Diagnostic Criteria and Symptoms
To diagnose ADHD, symptoms must manifest before age 12 and be evident across multiple settings....
01:18Drugs Affecting GI Tract Motility: Antimicrobials as Antidiarrheal Agents
01:17Drugs for Treatment of Diarrhea-Predominant IBS
Two specific drugs used in the treatment are alosetron (Lotronex) and eluxadoline (Viberzi). Alosetron, a 5-HT3 antagonist, works by slowing the movement of stools in the gut, reducing bowel...
01:20Drugs Affecting GI Tract Motility: Adsorbents as Antidiarrheal Agents
Adsorbents...
01:23Anatomy of the Intestines
Small Intestines
The small intestine is an ~7 meter-long tube with an inner diameter of just 2.5 cm. Since most nutrients are absorbed here, the inner lining of the...
01:17Irritable Bowel Syndrome I: Introduction
IBS is a chronic condition that can persist over a long period or recur frequently.
The pathogenesis of IBS involves a complex interplay of the following factors:
Altered...