Mechanisms Underlying Microbial-Mediated Changes in Social Behavior in Mouse Models of Autism Spectrum Disorder
Currently, there are no medications that effectively
treat the core symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder
(ASD). We recently found that the bacterial
species Lactobacillus (L.) reuteri reverses social
deficits in maternal high-fat-diet offspring. However,
whether the effect of L. reuteri on social
behavior is generalizable to other ASD models
and its mechanism(s) of action remains unknown.
Here, we found that treatment with L. reuteri selectively
rescues social deficits in genetic, environmental,
and idiopathic ASD models. Interestingly,
the effects of L. reuteri on social behavior are not
mediated by restoring the composition of the
host’s gut microbiome, which is altered in all of
these ASD models. Instead, L. reuteri acts in a vagus
nerve-dependent manner and rescues social
interaction-induced synaptic plasticity in the
ventral tegmental area of ASD mice, but not in
oxytocin receptor-deficient mice. Collectively,
treatment with L. reuteri emerges as promising
non-invasive microbial-based avenue to combat
ASD-related social dysfunction.
https://www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(18)31009-2?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0896627318310092%3Fshowall%3Dtrue