Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Neural and Behavioral Facets of Social Cognition in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Trial

— TMSinASD  

Official title:

Effects of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Neural and Behavioral Facets of Social Cognition in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Active, not recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT04242355
• Other study ID #: 2000021846
• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: July 1, 2019
• Est. completion date: July 2025

Study information

• Verified date: April 2024
• Source: Yale University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

This study will evaluate the effects of repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) on neural and behavioral facets of social cognition in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Participant visits will include a baseline assessment of neuropsychological, cognitive and behavioral function, and an EEG (electroencephalogram) and eye-tracking session to measure neural and visual attentional social response before and after administration of TMS.

Description:

Broad ranging social cognition difficulties are hallmark areas of impairment in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and they are subserved by specific neural systems underpinning social perception and processing that are recognized to be atypical in ASD. Considering the neurodevelopmental nature of the disorder, and the recent findings regarding aberrant neuroplasticity in ASD, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) holds promise to directly modulate brain activity in these systems. The objective of this research proposal is to utilize a multimodal approach to provide a proof-of-concept for the ability of rTMS to (a) influence functioning in the brain systems involved in social ASD symptomatology and (b) modify associated social cognitive behaviors in adults with ASD. Toward achieving this objective, we propose to assess critical aspects of social cognition using the electroencephalogram (EEG), event-related potentials (ERPS), eye-tracking (ET), and behavioral tasks prior to and following a single rTMS session to provide preliminary insight into the potential of rTMS as a tool to modify social brain function in cognitively able adults with ASD.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Enrollment: 100
• Est. completion date: July 2025
• Est. primary completion date: July 2024
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years to 40 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• individuals between the ages of 18 and 40 years old with typical development or with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.

• able to participate in an EEG and eye-tracking experiment

Exclusion Criteria:

• Participants reporting significant head trauma or serious brain illness

• Participants with major psychiatric illness that would preclude completion of study measures.

• Participants with a history of serious medical illness, stroke, seizures, epileptiform EEG abnormalities, or family history of seizures.

• Participants taking prescription medications that may affect cognitive processes under study.

• Participants who have taken alcohol or recreational drugs within the preceding 24 hours.

• Females of known/suspected pregnancy or who test positive on a pregnancy test.

• Participants with a history of metalworking or injury by shrapnel or metallic objects are also exclude

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Autistic Disorder
• Child Development Disorders, Pervasive

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
Subjects will receive both active and sham TMS in a randomized crossover assignment involving two study sessions

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Yale University	New Haven	Connecticut

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Yale University

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

References & Publications (8)

Abujadi C, Croarkin PE, Bellini BB, Brentani H, Marcolin MA. Intermittent theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation for autism spectrum disorder: an open-label pilot study. Braz J Psychiatry. 2018 Jul-Sep;40(3):309-311. doi: 10.1590/1516-4446-2017-2279. Epub 2017 Dec 11. — View Citation

Allison T, Puce A, McCarthy G. Social perception from visual cues: role of the STS region. Trends Cogn Sci. 2000 Jul;4(7):267-278. doi: 10.1016/s1364-6613(00)01501-1. — View Citation

Dawson G, Toth K, Abbott R, Osterling J, Munson J, Estes A, Liaw J. Early social attention impairments in autism: social orienting, joint attention, and attention to distress. Dev Psychol. 2004 Mar;40(2):271-83. doi: 10.1037/0012-1649.40.2.271. — View Citation

Huang YZ, Edwards MJ, Rounis E, Bhatia KP, Rothwell JC. Theta burst stimulation of the human motor cortex. Neuron. 2005 Jan 20;45(2):201-6. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2004.12.033. — View Citation

McPartland J, Dawson G, Webb SJ, Panagiotides H, Carver LJ. Event-related brain potentials reveal anomalies in temporal processing of faces in autism spectrum disorder. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2004 Oct;45(7):1235-45. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2004.00318.x. — View Citation

Ni HC, Hung J, Wu CT, Wu YY, Chang CJ, Chen RS, Huang YZ. The Impact of Single Session Intermittent Theta-Burst Stimulation over the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex and Posterior Superior Temporal Sulcus on Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Front Neurosci. 2017 May 9;11:255. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00255. eCollection 2017. — View Citation

Oberman LM, Rotenberg A, Pascual-Leone A. Use of transcranial magnetic stimulation in autism spectrum disorders. J Autism Dev Disord. 2015 Feb;45(2):524-36. doi: 10.1007/s10803-013-1960-2. — View Citation

Rossi S, Hallett M, Rossini PM, Pascual-Leone A; Safety of TMS Consensus Group. Safety, ethical considerations, and application guidelines for the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation in clinical practice and research. Clin Neurophysiol. 2009 Dec;120(12):2008-2039. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2009.08.016. Epub 2009 Oct 14. — View Citation

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	right lateralized N170 latency to upright faces	EEG brain response to faces as measured by the N170 component in milliseconds	Measures will be recorded for the duration of their visit, an expected average of 4-5 hrs.
Secondary	proportion of visual attention to the eye region of the face	visual attention to the eye region of the face as measured by eye tracking in seconds	Measures will be recorded for the duration of their visit, an expected average of 4-5 hrs.
Secondary	The Benton Face Recognition Task	The total Benton score will be used to assess the ability to recognize and discriminate among faces	Measures will be recorded for the duration of their visit, an expected average of 4-5hrs