The Mechanistic Study of Exercise Amelioration of Autism through Vagus Nerve-Mediated Gut-Brain Axis Pathway (PRJCA039016)

The global prevalence of autism is about 1%, but its etiology is unknown and effective interventions are lacking. Exercise is an effective treatment to improve the symptoms of autism, which may be related to the alteration of gut microbita and their metabolites, short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which mediate the alteration of the central neurotransmitter system via the gut-brain axis pathway, but the specific biological mechanisms need to be further investigated. In this project, we used voluntary running wheel exercise intervention as well as supplementation of key short chain fatty acids (butyric acid) and established a vagotomy model to determine whether the alteration of SCFAs modulates the function of central neurotransmitter system via the vagal pathway, and ultimately improves the behaviors of rats with autism. We provide evidence support for the gut-brain axis mechanism of exercise intervention in autism, as well as directions and ideas for future discovery of potential intervention targets for intervention or treatment of autism via the microbe-gut-brain axis pathway.