A quiet profound shift is happening in neuroscience—one that could change how we understand both childhood development and brain aging.

For decades, autism was viewed as a condition of early life, while Alzheimer’s disease, a form of dementia, was seen as something entirely separate—an illness of old age. But emerging research is now challenging that divide in ways that are both surprising and deeply personal.

Why Aging with Autism is Gaining Attention

When I lost a sibling to Lewy Body dementia, and after witnessing my mother’s long battle with Parkinson’s disease, I began to look back more closely at the history and patterns of autism, Parkinson’s, and other forms of dementia in my own family. What I discovered echoed growing scientific questions: Could autism and Alzheimer’s disease be connected at a biological level? Could having autism put someone at a higher risk for Parkinson’s later in life?

Recent research findings suggest that these conditions may share overlapping genetic pathways, disrupted neural connectivity, and even similar changes in how brain cells communicate over time. If true, this raises a powerful and urgent question:

Are we looking at the same brain story—just unfolding at different stages of life?

And if so, what does that mean for your mental health, your family, and the future of treatment?

The Emerging Link Between Autism and Alzheimer’s

New neuroscientific data shocked the world of research when a possible connection between Autism (ASD) and Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) first surfaced in Autism Research Review International in an editorial published in 2025 by Stephen Edelson, PhD, Chief Science Officer at the Autism Research Institute. This has great implications for our future since, according to a study published in 2021 by Nadeem et al., on symptomatic, genetic, and mechanistic overlaps between autism and Alzheimer’s, 5.8 million US citizens aged 65 and over are battling this disease with the number expected to exceed 88 million in 2050.

As Edelson stated: Aging itself presents many challenges for those with autism, and one is the issue of rapid cognitive decline. Alzheimer’s also poses unique difficulties for those with autistic tendencies who often contend with anxiety, depression, GI disturbances, insistence on sameness, memory impairments, sensory sensitivities, limited ability to communicate with others, and sleep problems.

While research on the topic of dementia in those with autism remains limited, emerging scientific evidence according to Edelson, based on a lack of cases identified by experienced clinicians, presents a complicated picture. Some studies point to the possibility of a biological protective factor, noting a rarity of dementia in the autism population.

In contrast to this hypothesis, other studies suggest a relatively higher prevalence rate than in the general population. In a sample of 210 middle-aged and older adults with autism, the findings revealed that 30 percent reported experiencing cognitive decline (Klein, et al., 2023). The chief complaints were reduced interest in leisure-type activities and increased difficulties with activities of daily living (ADL), memory, and thinking.

What the Latest Neuroscience Reveals About the Brain

To Joseph Buxbaum, a professor of psychiatry, neuroscience, and genetics/genomic sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the links between autism and Alzheimer’s came as a big surprise as reported on April 5, 2026 by Ariana Cha, writer at The Washington Post. At first  Dr. Buxbaum came into this new way of thinking while ‘kicking and screaming’ because he did not want to believe it, but the signals kept accumulating, like the amyloid plaques of Alzheimer’s, and over time, his skepticism gave way to question: What if autism and Alzheimer’s come from the same place but at opposite ends of life?

One of the challenges for neuroscientists to connect the two disorders stems from the fact that autism has long been treated as a condition of childhood, with little attention paid to how it evolves with age.

Since autism was only first recognized as a diagnosis in 1980, it was largely unidentified in older generations. Only recently, as the first wave of a diagnosed cohort reaches middle age, researchers have now begun to study adults with autism later in life and find that the number of studies about aging with autism is growing rapidly. Now with advances in brain imaging, DNA sequencing and molecular biology are showing remarkable overlaps between the two disorders in genes, neural circuitry, and in patterns of disease.

The connection first drew attention in the late 1990s to early 2000s when those with autism developed Alzheimer’s at an early age. Many people who are now 65 were never identified, making it difficult to estimate how many are on the Spectrum. However, if prevalence mirrors that seen in children, that is, 1 in 31—researchers say the number could be as high as 1.97 million—and with 1 out of 9 Americans that age with Alzheimer’s, the overlap could involve 220,000 people, according to reporter, Ariana Cha.

Brian Lee, an epidemiologist at Drexel University, pointed out that autism as a neurodevelopmental condition may lead to lifestyle changes that might predispose to neurodegeneration, but the overlap runs deeper into biology itself.

Shared Genetics and Brain Connectivity

The overlap between autism and Alzheimer’s is most apparent because of a long list of shared genes numbering at least 48. Many of them are involved in how brain cells connect, signal, and adapt over time. One of the most common genes is the SHANK3. This encodes a protein of the same name that acts as a kind of structural framework at synapses, helping neurons communicate, which disrupt early development, and a later shift is associated with gradual loss of connections.

A Condition of Cellular Housekeeping

We may not think of the brain needing housekeeping, but it does, just like my home did before my guests arrived for Easter dinner. The brain being packed with roughly 170 billion cells constantly generates waste that must be cleared away to keep its circuits running smoothly. William Phllips, a nuclear medicine physician at UT health San Antonio, said that his findings caught his attention because the brain’s clean up system is closely linked to smell. In Alzheimer’s people often lose their sense of smell before memory problems occur.  Although it has been reported in autism, it has been largely dismissed.

What are the “Evil Proteins” Causing Memory Loss?

• Tau Protein: In Alzheimer’s tau misfolds, become sticky, and form neurofibrillary tangles, leading to neuron death and severe memory loss.
• Amyloid-Beta: This protein forms plaques that build up outside neurons, triggering the spread of toxic tau and disrupting cellular communication.
• FLT:1 Protein: Elevated levels of this protein can drive brain aging. The good news is that by reducing it, studies show memory loss can be reversed.

Brain Architecture Matters

With advances in brain imagery, neuroscientists can now watch these conditions overtime unfold in living brains. For years, research in both disorders focused on individual regions, which parts were larger or smaller, and which parts are active. Scientists were intrigued that Alzheimer’s is associated with the shrinking of a brain region, such as the amygdala, a structure involved in emotion, fear and social processing. In autism, the amygdala is often enlarged, although the findings have varied by study design and age.

1. Blair Braden, who directs the Brain Aging Laboratory at Arizona State University, has spent more than a decade recruiting dozens of adults with autism from the area, asking them to return repeatedly for brain scans. Her first major paper on the subject in 2022 revealed changes in the hippocampus, a region critical for memory that shrinks with age in both those with autism and those without it. The brain scans seem to be telling a similar story as far as genetics and molecular work.

Mental Health Implications Across the Lifespan Require Planning

The following questions require prompt attention in ASD and AD care to prepare for the future:

• Do communication barriers make adequate medical attention more difficult?
• Are routines around exercise different?
• What are the long-term effects of medication?
• Could coordination challenges lead to more head injuries?
• How does lifetime stress negatively impact mental health for those with dual diagnoses?

What Families and Providers Need to Know

Dr. Edelson suggests prompt action by healthcare providers, such as:

• Specialized training to recognize dementia in individuals with autism,
• Development of communication strategies that accommodate the individual’s sensory challenge and cognitive capabilities.
• Creation of climates that minimize stress and overstimulation
• Support for caregivers and families must be given with resources and education tailored to the dual diagnoses that include guidance on management of behavioral changes, provision of consistent routines, and accessibility of services.

Protecting Brain Health Across the Lifespan

As neuroscience begins to uncover how brain connectivity, emotional regulation, and cognitive resilience evolve across a lifetime, it becomes clear that intervention cannot begin too late—or too early. The same neural systems that influence early development in autism may also shape vulnerability, or resilience to cognitive decline later in life.

Approaches rooted in whole-brained integrations—such as Mindful Toughness® — focus on strengthening neural pathways through techniques like self-hypnosis, controlled breathing, mental rehearsal, positive self-talk, and performance-based feedback loop analysis. These skillsets are not simply psychological tools. They are neuro-regulatory strategies that help stabilize attention, reduce stress reactivity, and reinforce adaptive neural patterns over time.

In my work as a peak performance coach with young clients, including those with autism, I have seen how these skillsets, using the power of the mind, can enhance confidence, improve communication, and build resilience. To see how I helped a teen on the Spectrum go to summer camp, view the video below, Visualize A Happy Camp Experience For Your Child:

Watch the other videos in this Mindful Toughness® for Kids playlist to learn more about my work.

The emerging question is no longer whether these tools help in the present—but whether they may also contribute to protecting brain health across the lifespan.

New hope with harmony

What we can derive from recent research on the connection between ASD and AD is new hope, which entails not just a shift in thinking, but the building of early outlines for new treatments. This points to reorganization of new targets for Alzheimer’s treatments away from amyloid plagues and tau protein damage and towards synapse and connectivity.

Lennart Mucke, lead study author and neuroscience professor at the University of California, posited that we must imagine an orchestra where everyone plays in harmony. The work that lies ahead in both autism and Alzheimer’s he said is learning how to bring that harmony back.

“If autism and Alzheimer’s are part of a shared neurological story, then the skills we teach today may shape the brain we live with tomorrow.”