# Environmental Influence on Infant Microbiome Development and ASD Symptoms

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · 2020 · $651,707

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
We propose to characterize associations among the fecal microbiome, the fecal glycome, and
measures of household environmental exposures in infants who do and do not subsequently
develop autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from the MARBLES cohort. One of the most common
co-morbidities in autism are gastrointestinal problems, and the presence of frequent symptoms
of diarrhea or constipation is associated with more severe symptoms. However, virtually all
research on GI dysfunction in ASD to date has been conducted after the ASD diagnosis has
been made, thus not allowing for examination of temporal relationships between GI dysbiosis
and the onset of ASD. Moreover, few underlying biologic mechanisms have been
identified. Increasingly, the prominent but insufficiently characterized, role of the microbiota in
human health has been recognized. Environmental influences on individual gut microbiota
profiles are also coming under scrutiny, but there has been very little work on the impact of
chemical exposures on the microbiome. Taking advantage of data and samples available from
a large, prospective pregnancy study of high-risk infant siblings of children with autism, this
project seeks to investigate the development in early postnatal life of the individual profiles of
the gut microbiome, the environmental chemical influences on these, and their relationship to GI
symptoms and to the subsequent development of autism and its early signs. Our overarching
hypothesis is that environmental exposures common in developing countries influence the
developing intestinal microbiota and intestinal permeability in the first year of life and that the
resultant dysbiosis and gut “leakiness” increase risk for development of ASD. With an
established interdisciplinary team at the cutting edge of the microbiome and glycome
measurement, we will use recently developed effective techniques to quantify fecal milk glycans
and milk glycan monomers that are clear drivers for intestinal health or dysbiosis in the
developing infant gut microbiome. We will apply an innovative mechanistic framework that
incorporates a number of known or suspected factors in GI dysfunction in ASD, including a
compromised intestinal barrier, and links exposure to environmental toxins, GI outcomes, and
ASD. Establishing associations between the maternal and child environment, the developing
infant gut microbiome, and onset of ASD symptomology and diagnosis would set the stage for
mechanistic studies examining ways to shift the infant microbiota away from onset of dysbiosis
during the first year of life—a critical developmental period—with potential implications for
neurodevelopmental outcomes.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9984397
- **Project number:** 5R01ES028089-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS
- **Principal Investigator:** Irva Hertz-Picciotto
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $651,707
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-09-30 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9984397

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9984397, Environmental Influence on Infant Microbiome Development and ASD Symptoms (5R01ES028089-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9984397. Licensed CC0.

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