Medical researchers believe they are making valuable discoveries toward a deeper understanding of autism and how to treat it — particularly through recent studies of how microbes in the human gut play a significant role in development of the condition. The Economist article begins with a report on recent research by Fulton Schools Professors Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown James Adams and their collaborators showing that a process called microbiota transfer therapy helped to reduce the symptoms of autism in children. Their findings are detailed in a report on the website of the research journal Scientific Reports-Nature.

The Economist article also cites work by researchers at Caltech in collaboration with Krajmalnik-Brown to further explore the gut-brain connection as it relates to autism. The team’s findings are published online in the journal Cell: “Human Gut Microbiota from Autism Spectrum Disorder Promote Behavioral Symptoms in Mice.” More on the latest research is also reported in The Guardian article “Autism symptoms replicated in mice after faecal transplants” and in “Gut Bacteria Influence Autism-like Behaviors in Mice” (ASU Biodesign Institute)