Publication trends as listed by PubMed/NLM over the last two decades, search criteria for each is “gastrointestinal + autism” and “gastrointestinal + zebrafish.” Including all three search terms (GI + ASD + zebrafish) only resulted in three publications, the earliest in 2014.

Human genetics has identified 100s of sporadic, de novo genetic changes that can cause ASD; shown are a subset of these that report GI distress as a major symptom. (A) The Venn diagram shows genes linked to GI distress in ASD in the orange circle, those which have extant zebrafish models in the blue circle, and those in which reduced GI motility has been reported in an animal model. (B) The map shows where families caring for individuals with Phelan McDermid Syndrome are scattered across the globe making a standard of care challenging. This Google map image was generated by the Phelan McDermid Syndrome Foundation and is reproduced above with their permission.