Dr Jake Gratten - Mater Research, Brisbane: "A new perspective on the autism-gut microbiome relationship from the Australian Autism Biobank"
Speaker:
Dr Jake Gratten
Mater Research, Brisbane
Title: A new perspective on the autism-gut microbiome relationship from the Australian Autism Biobank
There is intense interest in the role of the gut microbiota in autism, driven by high rates of GI conditions in those with a diagnosis. Supporting evidence from animal studies has led to human studies, some of which have reported microbiome alterations in autism. The resulting hype has seen rapid progression to clinical trials and start-ups for microbiome-based interventions in ASD. Despite the excitement, the evidence is weak, because published studies are small, difficult to reproduce and (mostly) haven’t accounted for confounding factors. This talk will focus on our efforts to clarify the autism-gut microbiome relationship using data from the Australian Autism Biobank. By integrating psychometric measures, dietary data, polygenic scores and gut metagenomics, we generated new understanding of the relationships between autism, dietary preferences and the gut microbiome, contradicting the popular view that modifying the microbiome may be an effective intervention.
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Neuroscience seminars at the QBI play a major role in the advancement of neuroscience in the Asia-Pacific region. The primary goal of these seminars is to promote excellence in neuroscience through the exchange of ideas, establishing new collaborations and augmenting partnerships already in place.
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