经济学人: 孤独症 (1)

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Less familiar to most, though, are the gastrointestinal problems associated with the condition. 多数人所不熟悉的是和这种疾病相关联的胃肠问题。

The intestines³ of children with autism often harbour bacteria different from those in the guts⁵ of the neurotypical. 孤独者儿童的肠道经常藏匿着细菌，而这些细菌和非自闭症人群肠道的那些是不同的。

As a consequence, such people are more than three times as likely as others are to develop serious alimentary⁶ canal disorders⁸ at some point in their lives. 因此，和其他人相比，他们一生中患上严重消化道疾病的可能性是前者的三倍。

Unfortunate though this is, the upset gut⁴ floras⁹ of autistic people are seen by some investigators¹⁰ as the key to the condition and to treating it. 虽然很不幸，但是一些调查人员将孤独症患者的肠道菌群视为该疾病的关键，也是治愈它的关键。

Recent research has shown that altering animals' intestinal² bacteria can have dramatic effects on their nervous systems. 近期研究表明改变动物体内的肠道细菌可以对它们的神经系统有着明显效果。

Ameliorating autism by tinkering with the ecology of the gut might thus be a fruitful line of inquiry¹¹. 通过鼓捣肠道生态学改善孤独者或许是一次富有成效的调查。

A study just published in Neuron suggests that it is. In it, Mauro Costa-Mattioli of Baylor College of Medicine, in Texas, 《Neuron》刚刚刊登了一项研究。在该研究中，德州贝勒医学院的Mauro Costa-Mattioli

and his colleagues demonstrate that introducing a particular bacterium¹² into the guts of mice that display autistic symptoms can abolish some of those symptoms. 以及他的同事证明将一种特别的细菌注入有孤独症症状表现的老鼠的肠道中可以消除它的一些症状。

The bug¹³ in question is Lactobacillus reuteri. It is commonly found in healthy digestive systems and helps regulate acidity¹⁴ levels. 这种疾病的漏洞就是罗伊氏乳杆菌。其普遍存在于健康的消化系统中，并帮助调节酸度。

And it is also easily obtainable for use as a probiotic from health-food shops. 并且作为一种益生菌，很容易在保健食品店中买到。

Dr Costa-Mattioli and his team first reported L. reuteri's effects on autism in 2016, after conducting experiments with obese¹⁵ female mice. Costa-Mattioli博士和他的团队于2016年首次报告了罗伊氏乳杆菌对孤独症的效果，之前他们对过度肥胖的雌性老鼠进行过试验。

These animals have a tendency to give birth to offspring with autistic traits familiar from people—unwillingness¹⁶ to socialise, 这些动物更容易生出患有孤独症特质的后代，有这些特质的人会出现不愿社交、

repetitive behaviour and unwillingness to communicate (in the case of mice, via ultrasonic¹⁷ squeaking). 重复性行为以及不愿交流的行为（而老鼠则是通过超声尖叫表现出来）。

The researchers noted¹⁸ that the guts of both the obese mothers and their young were bereft¹⁹ of L. reuteri. 研究人员注意到肥胖母亲和它们后代的肠道中都没有了罗伊氏乳杆菌。

They wondered what effect transplanting these bugs²⁰ into the animals might have. 他们想知道将这些罗伊氏乳杆菌移植到动物体内会有什么影响

They found, when they did so to the offspring, that the youngsters' autism-like traits vanished. 他们发现，当他们将罗伊氏乳杆菌移植到后代体内时，它们类似孤独症的特质消失了。

That led to the latest experiments, on mice that have autistic symptoms induced in four other, different ways. Some were genetically²¹ edited to be autistic. 因此才有了近期的试验，以四种其他不同的方式诱发老鼠体内的孤独症症状。一些老鼠是经过基因编辑形成孤独症。

Some were exposed to valproic acid, a drug used to treat bipolar disorder⁷ and migraines that is known to induce autism in fetuses²². 一些是被暴露于丙戊酸中，这种药物被用于治疗躁郁症和偏头痛，已知这种疾病会诱发胎儿的孤独症。

Some had their guts cleared of all bacteria. And some belonged to a strain called BTBR, individuals of which display autism-like traits that have no known cause. 一些是清除掉它们肠道中的所有细菌。一些属于BTBR品系的小老鼠，它们有类似孤独症的特质，但起因未知。

Martina Sgritta, one of Dr Costa-Mattioli's colleagues, analysed the bacteria in the guts of all of these animals. Costa-Mattioli博士的一名同事Martina Sgritta对所有这些动物体内的肠道细菌进行了分析。

 

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