Surprising Links between Autism, Alzheimer’s Could Change Their Treatment

Joseph Buxbaum was initially unconvinced. When early hints of a connection between autism and Alzheimer’s began to appear in the medical literature a few years ago, they struck him as implausible — one a condition of early brain development, the other driving decline in old age.

However, the signals kept accumulating, and over time, his skepticism gave way to a new line of inquiry that could transform scientists' understanding of the two diseases.

"I came to this kicking and screaming," said Buxbaum, a professor of psychiatry, neuroscience and genetics/genomic sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "I didn't want to believe it."

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