Noninvasive Brain Stimulation to Treat Core Social Deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorder
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a common condition, affecting about 1 in 59 people. Individuals with ASD frequently experience difficulty interacting with other people, including looking at faces and understanding the information contained in another person’s face. Although the brain systems that support this type of social behavior are well understood, there are currently no medical treatments to improve their function. The current study applies a technique called direct brain stimulation to attempt to “turn on” these underactive circuits in individuals with ASD. We propose to use a powerful magnet to stimulate these brain regions. We will control for a person’s expectations by sometimes applying “pretend” stimulation, or sham. To determine whether the stimulation is effective, we will measure changes in the way a person’s brain responds to images of human faces and the way a person looks at images of human faces. This brain activity and pattern of looking usually appear different in people with ASD. By measuring these processes, we will learn whether direct brain stimulation changes brain responses and patterns of looking to appear more similar to that of people without ASD. We would then infer that the approach has potential benefit as a treatment for social difficulties in ASD. In addition to testing the technique’s potential as a treatment, we may also learn information about variation in the brains of people with ASD that would be useful for selecting other treatments or predicting how a person might respond to other treatments. Because social challenges are so common in ASD and because the stimulation technology is FDA-approved and available in most areas of the United States, we anticipate that this could be a widely used treatment. The priorities of the Fiscal Year 2020 Autism Research Program Clinical Translational Research Award identify assessing a biological treatment for ASD core symptoms as a key research area of interest. The technology is very safe, and it is already commonly used as a treatment for other psychiatric conditions. This means that, if our results are promising, it would be worth studying in a larger research project. To do so, we would utilize a consortium overseen by the director of this project that would provide a network of research centers, all experienced in working with people with ASD and in studying the brain.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Dec 05, 2021
- Source ID
- W81XWH2110479
Entities
People
- James C. McPartland
Organizations
- United States Army
- Yale University