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Published in The Journal of Immunology, this research focuses on a molecule well known to immunologists: interleukin-17a (IL-17a). Usually associated with conditions such as psoriasis or multiple sclerosis, it could also have an impact on neurological development before birth. To test this, the scientists worked with pregnant mice. The result: those whose gut microbiota was more likely to trigger an inflammatory response (and therefore produce more IL-17a) gave birth to offspring whose behavior resembled that observed in autism: stereotypies, social avoidance, etc. This striking correlation suggests that the mother’s bacterial environment could play an important role long before birth.
Fecal transplantation: a revolutionary experiment.
To confirm this hypothesis, the researchers took the experiment even further. They performed a fecal transplant between mice, thus transferring the microbiota from one individual to another. The result was unequivocal: the recipient mice, which inherited a pro-inflammatory microbiota, developed behaviors similar to those of autism. This suggests that the maternal microbiota, by modifying the baby’s immune system , could influence the development of their brain. This hypothesis is still in the exploratory phase, but it sheds new light on mechanisms that have long remained unknown.