J Pediatr. 2018 May 8.  Objective To investigate the prospective associations between early childhood lead exposure and subsequent risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in childhood and its potential effect modifiers. Study Design We analyzed data from 1479 mother-infant pairs (299 ADHD, 1180 neurotypical) in the Boston Birth Cohort. The child’s first blood lead…

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J Trace Elem Med Biol. 2018 Mar;46:76-82 Abstract Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder of unknown aetiology. It is suggested to involve both genetic susceptibility and environmental factors including in the latter environmental toxins. Human exposure to the environmental toxin aluminium has been linked, if tentatively, to autism spectrum disorder. Herein we have used…

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Medicine (Baltimore). 2016 Apr; 95(15): e3347. Abstract There has been growing interest in the association between infectious disease and mental disorders, but an association between enterovirus (EV) infection and tic disorders has not been sufficiently explored. Herein, we aim to investigate the association between EV infection and incidence of tic disorders in a nationwide population-based…

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Adv. Nut. 2018 Jan 1;9(1):9-20. doi: 10.1093/advances/nmx002. An association between vitamin D and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been proposed by several researchers in recent years; however, the investigations have led to inconsistent results. The present study was conducted to summarize the published observational data on the relation between vitamin D status and the…

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Nature volume 557, pages724–728 (2018) Research published in Nature in May 2018 focuses on the influence of gut microbes on two types of cells that play a major role in the central nervous system: microglia and astrocytes. Microglia are an integral part of the body’s immune system, responsible for scavenging the CNS and getting rid of plaques,…

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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2018.04.027 The ketogenic diet (KD) is used to treat refractory epilepsy, but the mechanisms underlying its neuroprotective effects remain unclear. Here, we show that the gut microbiota is altered by the KD and required for protection against acute electrically induced seizures and spontaneous tonic-clonic seizures in two mouse models. Mice treated with antibiotics or reared…

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Molecular Psychiatry volume 19, pages 146–148 (2014 The microbiota–gut–brain axis is an emerging concept in modern medicine informed by the ability of gut microbiota to alter brain and behaviour.1 Although some clinical studies have revealed altered gut microbiota composition in patients with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism,2, 3 the specific contributions of microbiota in early…

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Psychoneuroendocrinology May 2018 Volume 91, Pages 226–234  Abstract Low-grade inflammation is a risk factor for depression, psychosis and other major psychiatric disorders. It is associated with poor response to antidepressant and antipsychotics, and could potentially be a treatment target. However, there is limited data on the prevalence of low-grade inflammation in major psychiatric disorders, and on…

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Brain, Behavior, and Immunity Volume 70, May 2018, Pages 354-368 Abstract Many studies have reported the increased presence of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Altered microbiome profiles, pro-inflammatory responses and impaired intestinal permeability have been observed in children with ASD and co-morbid GI symptoms, yet few studies have compared these…

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