How the autistic brain changes as people age
Official title: Brain Aging Across the Lifespan in Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Funded at University of California at Davis · NIH-11235171 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at brain cells and signs of inflammation in adults with autism to understand memory and thinking changes as they get older.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California at Davis NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Davis, United States) |
| Project start | November 20, 2023 |
| Project end | October 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $803,128 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH133068-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11235171 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with autism, especially middle-aged and older individuals, or those willing to join a brain-donation program after death, would be the ideal contributors to this work.
✕Less likely to help
Children, people without ASD, and individuals who cannot or will not participate in brain-donation or clinical characterization programs are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this project in the near term.
What this research studies
From my point of view, the team will use donated adult brains from people with autism who were clinically and genetically characterized to study how the brain changes with age. They will examine specific brain regions linked to memory and social behavior and identify which cell types show loss or damage. The researchers will measure markers of immune activity and inflammation in those cells to see whether inflammation may drive decline. Findings will be compared with non-autistic brains to pinpoint changes unique to adults with ASD.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal biological signs that predict or cause memory and thinking problems in adults with autism, helping guide future monitoring and treatments.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has found brain and immune differences in children with autism and links between ASD and higher dementia risk, but detailed cell-specific aging changes in adult ASD brains remain largely untested and novel.
Where this research is happening
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University of California at Davis
Davis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Schumann, Cynthia — University of California at Davis
- Study coordinator: Schumann, Cynthia
Related research
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.