Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42192173›Full record

ArticleMolecular psychiatry2026

Elevated microbially-derived metabolites in autism: a possible diagnostic screening test for a distinct ASD phenotype.

Christina K Flynn, Kevin Carr, Paul Whiteley, Khemlal Nirmalkar, Andrew Bellinghiere, Juergen Hahn, Hongbin Liu, Halil Arici, Laura Hewitson, Morgan Devlin and 12 more

Abstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in Molecular psychiatry, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

22 authors.

Christina K FlynnBiodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0004-3135-7341
Kevin CarrESPA Research, Sunderland, SR5 3RL, UK.
Paul WhiteleyESPA Research, Sunderland, SR5 3RL, UK.
Khemlal NirmalkarBiodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6732-9175
Andrew BellinghiereBiodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0000-5526-911X
Juergen HahnDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1078-4203
Hongbin LiuDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0006-8479-5200
Halil AriciDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0004-9872-7618
Laura HewitsonThe Johnson Center for Child Health and Development, Austin, TX, USA.
Morgan DevlinThe Johnson Center for Child Health and Development, Austin, TX, USA.
Elena L PollardBiodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.
Khyatiben V PathakEarly Detection and Prevention Division, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA.
Krystine Garcia MansfieldEarly Detection and Prevention Division, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA.
Anakaren Rosales TorresEarly Detection and Prevention Division, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA.
Patrick PirrotteEarly Detection and Prevention Division, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA.
Daniel B KalbCool Springs Family Medicine, Franklin, TN, 37067, USA.
Rebekah KeenCool Springs Family Medicine, Franklin, TN, 37067, USA.
Victoria KenyonMassachusetts General Hospital: Department of Gastroenterology, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
Alessio FasanoMassachusetts General Hospital: Department of Gastroenterology, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2134-0261
Rosa Krajmalnik-BrownBiodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6064-3524
James B AdamsBiodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA. jim.adams@asu.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8683-4062
Sarah KadzielskiMassachusetts General Hospital: Department of Gastroenterology, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.

Funding

Transgenic Mouse FacilityP30CA033572 · NCI · CITY OF HOPE/BECKMAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE · PI John Charles Williams · 1985 to 2026
$86.3M
NCI NIH HHS P30 CA033572
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Many studies have confirmed that a subset of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have unusually high urinary concentrations of microbially-derived metabolites (MDMs) such as p-cresol sulfate and indoxyl sulfate. We hypothesized that these MDMs may affect neurodevelopment through the gut-brain axis and that a sub-phenotype characterized by gut dysbiosis may be present in most ASD individuals. This multi-site study involved measuring the concentrations of many MDMs in the urine of 52 children with ASD and 47 healthy, typically developing (TD) children, aged 2 to 11 years. The measurements were conducted first with semiquantitative Liquid Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS), followed by targeted quantitative LC-MS. The ASD group had significantly higher concentrations of many MDMs compared to the TD group. The MDMs included phenylalanine-derived, tryptophan-derived, and yeast-derived MDMs. Almost all children with ASD had one or more MDMs at concentrations above any TD child, and sometimes 100-1000× higher. The children with ASD had an average of 3 MDMs at levels above any TD child, compared to zero (by definition) for the TD children. Classification using one or more elevated MDM yielded a sensitivity of 90% and a specificity of 100%. This MDM System

Indexed as

Autism Spectrum DisorderAutistic DisorderChildChild, PreschoolChromatography, LiquidCresolsFemaleHumansIndicanLiquid Chromatography-Mass SpectrometryMaleMass SpectrometryPhenotypePhenylalanineSulfuric Acid Esters4-cresol sulfateCresolsIndicanPhenylalanineSulfuric Acid Esters

Identifiers

PMID42192173
PMCPMC13441887

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.