Intestinal Dysbiosis and BBB Integrity in Autism

Summary

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterised by an impairment of social interactions and communication, associated with repetitive behaviour and restrictive interests. Clinical phenotypes of this neurodevelopmental disorder are heterogeneous and surprisingly up to 70% of ASD patients have gastro-intestinal (GI) disorders, associated with ASD severity and influence by feeding disorders.

Gut-brain axis seems to play a key role in neurodevelopment and ASD pathophysiology. Indeed an intestinal dysbiosis is observed in ASD, as well as intestinal inflammation and permeability. Aspecific inflammatory pattern suggests neuroinflammation processes in ASD. Neuroinflammation is involved in blood brain barrier (BBB) integrity and there are some arguments for a putative BBBimpairment in ASD. Nevertheless, no study has explored all together these parameters in ASD patients.

Here we hypothesise that intestinal dysbiosis in ASD could lead to a BBB impairment through neuroinflammation processes. Furthermore, this association between intestinal dysbiosis and BBB impairment could be influenced by a lot of clinical characteristics, such as ASD severity or GI disorders presence.

The principal aim of our study is to determine if the gut microbiota composition is associated with the BBB integrity in ASD. The secondary objectives are i) too identify in children with ASD some physiopathological pathways involved in this association, with a focus on associations betweenintestinal dysbiosis, intestinal permeability, intestinal permeability, the Th1/Th2 immune response, neuroinflammation and the BBB integrity; ii) to evaluate the influence of these associations on several clinical features of ASD such as ASD severity or GI disorders intensity; iii) to evaluate the influence of nutritional status on biological and clinical parameters.

This study will assess a lot of clinical and biological parameters together, some of them were never explored in ASD children. It will allow to better understand ASD pathophysiology, to highlight new therapeutic pathway, and to promote personalised medicine.

Conditions

• Autism Spectrum Disorder

Interventions

OTHER

Analysis of intestinal microbiota in autism spectrum desorder

This analysis permit to describe the diversity and composition of microbiota and the factors that may influence them. In fact, the gut microbiota plays a key role in regulating the gut-brain axis

OTHER

Analysis of neuroinflammation markers in autism spectrum desorder

This analysis permit to reveal the integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) which is affected in autism spectrum desorder.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, France

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• LBPC, Inserm 1183, IRMB CHU Montpellier

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• UMR 5203, InsermU1191, IGF, Montpellier

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• University Hospital, Montpellier

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Stéphanie MIOT, MD-PH · Montpellier University Hospital

Study Design

Allocation

NA

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

NONE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

6 Years

Max Age

16 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2021-04-26

Primary Completion

2024-12-26

Completion

2025-02-26

Countries

• France

Study Locations