Nagamine T. Microbial dial: How the gut microbiome tunes the severity of autism spectrum disorder. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(11): 116755 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.116755]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Takahiko Nagamine, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Psychiatric Internal Medicine, Sunlight Brain Research Center, 4-13-18 Jiyugaoka, Hofu 7470066, Yamaguchi, Japan. anagamine@yahoo.co.jp
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Psychiatry
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Nagamine T. Microbial dial: How the gut microbiome tunes the severity of autism spectrum disorder. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(11): 116755 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.116755]
World J Psychiatry. Nov 19, 2026; 16(11): 116755 Published online Nov 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.116755
Microbial dial: How the gut microbiome tunes the severity of autism spectrum disorder
Takahiko Nagamine
Takahiko Nagamine, Department of Psychiatric Internal Medicine, Sunlight Brain Research Center, Hofu 7470066, Yamaguchi, Japan
Author contributions: Nagamine T conducted conceptualization, investigation, and manuscript writing.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Corresponding author: Takahiko Nagamine, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Psychiatric Internal Medicine, Sunlight Brain Research Center, 4-13-18 Jiyugaoka, Hofu 7470066, Yamaguchi, Japan. anagamine@yahoo.co.jp
Received: November 20, 2025 Revised: December 5, 2025 Accepted: January 19, 2026 Published online: November 19, 2026 Processing time: 344 Days and 0.6 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: A recent study used monozygotic twins to decouple genetic factors from gut microbiome influences on the severity of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Despite identical genomes, twins with higher symptom severity exhibited distinct microbial community structures, functional metabolic deficits, and enrichment of the pro-inflammatory Porphyromonas. These findings support that the microbiome is a primary driver of phenotypic heterogeneity in ASD. Although limited by a small, correlational sample, the study provides a critical foundation for identifying microbiome-based therapeutic targets. Collectively, the evidence reinforces the concept that while host genetics predispose individuals to ASD, the gut microbiome dictates the specific intensity of behavioral manifestations.
