Paper
Fecal transplant: a revolutionary experiment.
To confirm this hypothesis, the researchers took the experiment even further. They performed a fecal transplant between mice, thus transferring the gut microbiota from one individual to another. The result was unequivocal: the recipient mice, which inherited a pro-inflammatory gut microbiota, developed autism-like behaviors. This suggests that the maternal gut microbiota, by modifying the infant ‘s immune system , could influence brain development. This hypothesis is still in the exploratory phase, but it sheds new light on mechanisms that have long remained unknown.
