A growing amount of research indicates that abnormalities in the gastrointestinal (GI) system during development might be a\ncommon factor inmultiple neurological disorders and might be responsible for some of the shared comorbidities seen among these\ndiseases. For example,many patients withAutism SpectrumDisorder (ASD) have symptoms associated with GI disorders.Maternal\nzinc status may be an important factor given the multifaceted effect of zinc on gut development and morphology in the offspring.\nZinc status influences and is influenced bymultiple factors and an interdependence of prenatal and early life stress, immune system\nabnormalities, impaired GI functions, and zinc deficiency can be hypothesized. In line with this, systemic inflammatory events\nand prenatal stress have been reported to increase the risk for ASD. Thus, here, we will review the current literature on the role\nof zinc in gut formation, a possible link between gut and brain development in ASD and other neurological disorders with shared\ncomorbidities, and tie in possible effects on the immune system. Based on these data, we present a novel model outlining how\nalterations in the maternal zinc status might pathologically impact the offspring leading to impairments in brain functions later in\nlife.
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