Surprising links between autism, Alzheimer's could change how we treat both

What if autism and Alzheimer's come from the same place? (Emma Kumer/The Washington Post; iStock) 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. But 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.