Summary: Researchers identify a predictive relationship between serotonin, cortisol and fecal microbiota. The study provides additional support for previous findings that implicate gut bacteria in ASD.

Source: University of Illinois.

Gut microbes have been in the news a lot lately. Recent studies show they can influence human health, behavior, and certain neurological disorders, such as autism. But just how do they communicate with the brain? Results from a new University of Illinois study suggest a pathway of communication between certain gut bacteria and brain metabolites, by way of a compound in the blood known as cortisol. And unexpectedly, the finding provides a potential mechanism to explain the characteristics of autism.

“Changes in neurometabolites during infancy can have profound effects on brain development, and it is possible that the microbiome — or collection of bacteria, fungi, and viruses inhabiting our gut —…