February 13, 2019
Zebrafish may help shed light on the mechanism causing gastrointestinal distress in people on the autism spectrum. By replicating a mutation of an autism-associated gene in the zebrafish, researchers from the University of Miami have found a drastic reduction in the number of cells that produce serotonin in the mutant zebrafish’s gut. This is significant because serotonin initiates the contractions that move food through the digestive tract. This finding could lead to the creation of treatments that could alleviate unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms for those on the autism spectrum.
Source: EurekAlert!
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