What is it about?
Connections between ADHD and the gut microbiome are currently hypothesized as a result of participation of member taxa in metabolic reactions that involve applicable neurotransmitters along the gut-brain axis. Many studies have attempted to untangle this complex web of interactions through macroscale metrics (diversity, composition, and biomarker analyses). We attempt a deeper dive into the underlying gut ecology by estimating and analyzing two way (cooperation and competition) ecological relationships between Control and ADHD gut microbiomes.
Featured Image
Why is it important?
Probiotic treatments have already shown promise for reducing ASD symptoms. ADHD is an NPD with a significant amount of symptomatic overlap with ASD. A deeper level of knowledge of gut ecology, its web of interactions, and subsequent influence on ADHD is necessary for developing future effective treatments. Changes in roles played by taxa in the Control and ADHD gut microbiomes illustrated by our study ultimately reinforces the gut microbiome as an interdependent ecosystem, and supports the idea of personalized medicine when developing such treatments.
Perspectives
Personally, health has always been important to me. Entering the field of bioinformatics as a faculty member has been a humbling experience, encountering our underlying complexity, contributed to both by our own cells/DNA, and (equally as many) microbial cells. Recent rises in mental illness is also a heavy concern of mine, and I am interested in finding reasons behind this. Any ounce of knowledge that helps complete this picture, is something I appreciate.
Trevor Cickovski
Florida International University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and the gut microbiome: An ecological perspective, PLOS One, August 2023, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0273890.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
