Autism Science Foundation Weekly Science Report

A landmark study that uses brain organoids from different people with different genes associated with autism showed that the different genes act as roads that go on different journeys to the same destination. This will be an enormously important discovery for identifying targets to treat different autism symptoms across different genetic causes of autism and understand the diversity of symptoms. Also, the new Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee was announced and there is not much breadth of perspectives.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10047-5

Air pollution, specifically one part of air pollution called PM 2.5 (named for the size of the crud in the air pollution) has been linked to autism. It’s also been tied to cancer, heart disease, asthma, obesity, and premature births. Air pollution typically comes from industrial sources and car exhaust, but it can also be the result of smoke from wildfires. Four new studies this week link air pollution exposure during pregnancy to autism. The Environmental Protection Agency has responded by easing penalties on producers of this air pollution, making it much easier for everyone to be exposed to high levels of air pollution throughout their lives. This week’s podcast reviews the new evidence and examines new policies which will increase the burden of air pollution to families.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41547316

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41443491

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41271133

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41557972

On this week’s podcast, we present new research summarizing how autism is part of a larger spectrum of neuropsychiatric disorders and issues. There are issues that people with autism experience that are not unique to autism; they are seen in people with ADHD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. This is what is meant by “transdiagnostic”. These things include core autism features, co-morbid health problems, and can partially be explained by genetics. While autism is a unique condition, understanding how autism is placed in the wider spectrum of disorders and conditions will speed up discoveries in treatments and supports.

Click to access mentalizing-impairments-across-11-psychiatric-conditions-a-transdiagnostic-systematic-review-and-network-meta-analysis-of-tasks-with-static-illustrations.pdf

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09820-3

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41416939

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41257798

This year was a VERY eventful year for autism. If you want to hear a highlight of the good news, the great science that was discovered and the ideas developed to help families with autism, listen to this podcast or read the summary here: https://autismsciencefoundation.org/2025-year-in-review/. In summary: more precise subtypes of autism have been discovered and validated using biological markers, explanation for sex differences, new precision medicines for those with known genetic causes of autism, and new research studying the effects of early intervention. It was a great year for science, even with all the challenges from DOGE.

The immune system is critically involved in autism. Of course, there are still a lot of questions to answer, particularly whether dysregulation of the immune system is the cause or a consequence of autism among others. But it is not studied enough. This week’s podcast includes new studies that examine the role of the immune system in autism, and outlines the different theories of how the immune system is involved in ASD.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41345879

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889159125004490?via%3Dihub

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-025-03349-7

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41125877

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-025-02162-8