IMR Press / JIN / Volume 23 / Issue 1 / DOI: 10.31083/j.jin2301020
Open Access Review
Probiotics and Prebiotics in the Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Narrative Review
Show Less
1 Department of Paediatrics, Guang’anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, 100053 Beijing, China
2 Clinical Medical School, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, 100029 Beijing, China
*Correspondence: fanfansofia@hotmail.com (Fei Fan)
J. Integr. Neurosci. 2024, 23(1), 20; https://doi.org/10.31083/j.jin2301020
Submitted: 6 April 2023 | Revised: 13 June 2023 | Accepted: 16 June 2023 | Published: 22 January 2024
Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Abstract

More than half of the patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have gastrointestinal (GI) comorbidities, such as constipation, indigestion, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Recent studies suggest prescribing probiotics and prebiotics in ASD could relieve GI disturbances and behavioral issues. This narrative review generalizes the research progress on probiotic and prebiotic therapies for ASD over the past 5 years and further discusses the underlying mechanisms of interaction between probiotics and prebiotics with ASD. Preliminary evidence has demonstrated the beneficial effects of probiotics and prebiotics on GI problems, autism-related behavioral disorders, and gut microbiome composition; the mechanism of probiotics and prebiotics in the treatment of ASD is mediated through inflammatory signaling pathways, metabolic pathways, neuronal signaling pathways, and the involvement of the vagus nerve. However, the results are inconclusive and mainly generated by animal experiments. Overall, the present review recommends further standardization of clinical studies to draw more robust evidence for prescribing probiotics and prebiotics in ASD.

Keywords
autism spectrum disorder
probiotics
prebiotics
gut microbiome
Figures
Fig. 1.
Share
Back to top