Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40229237›Full record

Observational studyNature communications2025

Relationships between brain activity, tryptophan-related gut metabolites, and autism symptomatology.

Lisa Aziz-Zadeh, Sofronia M Ringold, Aditya Jayashankar, Emily Kilroy, Christiana Butera, Jonathan P Jacobs, Skylar Tanartkit, Swapna Mahurkar-Joshi, Ravi R Bhatt, Mirella Dapretto and 2 more

Abstract readObservational Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
40citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

40 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Lisa Aziz-ZadehMrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. lazizzad@usc.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3557-8083
Sofronia M RingoldMrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8020-7735
Aditya JayashankarMrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Emily KilroyMrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Christiana ButeraMrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Jonathan P JacobsOppenheimer Center for the Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4698-0254
Skylar TanartkitOppenheimer Center for the Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Swapna Mahurkar-JoshiOppenheimer Center for the Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Ravi R BhattImaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2498-8888
Mirella DaprettoDepartment of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Jennifer S Labus *Oppenheimer Center for the Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Emeran A Mayer *Oppenheimer Center for the Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Funding

The neurobiological basis of heterogeneous social and motor deficits in ASDR01HD079432 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI AZIZ-ZADEH, LISA SARAH, DAPRETTO, MIRELLA · 2015 to 2019
$2.2M
NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD079432U.S. Department of Defense (United States Department of Defense) AR170062U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) R01HD079432
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

While it has been suggested that alterations in the composition of gut microbial metabolites may play a causative role in the pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), it is not known how gut microbial metabolites are associated with ASD-specific brain alterations. In this cross-sectional, case-control observational study, (i) fecal metabolomics, (ii) task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and (iii) behavioral assessments were obtained from 43 ASD and 41 neurotypical (NT) children, aged 8-17. The fMRI tasks used socio-emotional and sensory paradigms that commonly reveal strong evoked brain differences in ASD participants. Our results show that fecal levels of specific tryptophan-related metabolites, including kynurenate, were significantly lower in ASD compared to NT, and were associated with: 1) alterations in insular and cingulate cortical activity previously implicated in ASD; and 2) ASD severity and symptoms (e.g., ADOS scores, disgust propensity, and sensory sensitivities). Moreover, activity in the mid-insula and mid-cingulate significantly mediated relationships between the microbial tryptophan metabolites (indolelactate and tryptophan betaine) and ASD severity and disgust sensitivity. Thus, we identify associations between gut microbial tryptophan metabolites, ASD symptoms, and brain activity in humans, particularly in brain regions associated with interoceptive processing.

Indexed as

Autism Spectrum DisorderBrainGastrointestinal MicrobiomeTryptophanAdolescentCase-Control StudiesChildCross-Sectional StudiesFecesFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMetabolomicsTryptophan

Identifiers

PMID40229237
PMCPMC11997199

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.