DO PROBIOTICS EXERT BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON THE MANIFESTATIONS OF AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS?

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorders are characterized by a spectrum of symptoms that include reduced social skills and social isolation, repetitive behavior, a predilection for routines and abnormal responses to sensorial stimuli. There are different phenotypes of autism; therefore, this would appear to suggest that there are different causes triggering the disorders. A range of symptoms associated with the gastrointestinal tract such as dysbiosis, increased intestinal permeability and differences in microbiome composition has been found in some of these individuals. Clinical evidence also supports the idea that probiotics interfere in the central nervous system and in the host’s behavior by restricting stress response and anxiety. From the point of view of microbial endocrinology, the microbiome involves specific pathways in which microorganisms affect behavior, thus enabling a new approach to the treatment of mental diseases through modulation of the microbiome gut-brain axis. Probiotics may be useful for restoring microbial balance, relieving gastrointestinal problems and minimizing immunological abnormalities.