Article Highlight | 8-Jul-2024

Study investigates relationship between infant gut microbiome and childhood autism-related traits

Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes

Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program

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ECHO investigators study the effects of a broad range of early environmental influences on child health and development. For more information, visit echochildren.org.

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Credit: NIH/ECHO Program

Specific bacteria in the guts of infants and toddlers were associated with higher scores on a questionnaire measuring autism-related traits in a new study funded by the NIH Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program. The research could help explain how certain microbes could be connected to autism-related traits later in life and pave the way for interventions that target the gut microbiome to improve brain development outcomes.

Read the ECHO research summary here. 

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