Meet Elaine Hsiao. An assistant professor at UCLA, featured on Forbes 30 under 30, she researches the microbiome and strives to find links between the gut and the brain. 

Some of her most exciting research is regarding the microbiota and autism. Okay, so what do bacteria in your gut have to do with autism, a disorder of the brain? In her 2013 paper, Hsiao attempted to elucidate this. When “autistic” mice were treated with Bacteroids fragilis they showed improved communication, as well as reduced anxious, and obsessive behaviours. Sounds pretty good so far right? Unfortunately, the mice retained their social deficits. This was quite a significant drawback because social deficiencies are characteristic of autism spectrum disorders. 

Although this probiotic-to-be turned out to be a flop, the study did suggest a link between the gut microbiome and the brain and it paved the way for further research in the field. If you’re more of a visual learner, Hsiao also did a Ted Talk where she describes some of her work. So take a break from “Making a Murderer” and give it a watch!