Probiotics, Autism And Obese Mothers: Speculative Research

Probiotics Can ‘Potentially’ Cure Autism-Like Disorders — Study

www.rt.com | June 18, 2016

Texas researchers have managed to reverse autism-like neurological disorders in mice by adding just a single gut bacteria to their diet, but they still don’t know if human brains can be helped in the same way.
Scientists from the Baylor University College of Medicine in Texas conducted research to test the premise that, for human and non-human primates, the offspring of obese mothers have a higher risk of developing neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism.
To investigate the link between maternal obesity and behavioral deficits, the researchers tested 60 female mice separated into two groups. For eight weeks, some mice were fed a high-fat diet, while the others received just a regular diet. They were then paired with male mice that had been on a regular diet all of their lives, to produce offspring.

"Researchers showed that while the number of oxytocinergic cells (green) are reduced in the brains of maternal high-fat diet offspring, treatment with Lactobacillus reuteri increases their number." Source: https://www.bcm.edu/news/neuroscience/species-gut-bacteria-autism-related-behavior

<more at https://www.rt.com/usa/347239-probiotics-cure-autism-study/; related articles and links: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131205141900.htm (Probiotic therapy alleviates autism-like behaviors in mice. December 5, 2013) and https://www.bcm.edu/news/neuroscience/species-gut-bacteria-autism-related-behavior (+Video) (Single species of gut bacteria can reverse autism-related social behavior in mice. June 16, 2016)>