Studies how social brain networks change in adults with autism
Tests PEERS, a behavioral social skills program, in adults with autism spectrum disorder.
Key facts
- Who runs it
- National Taiwan University Hospital
- Where
- Taipei, TaiwanSee the site
- Trial code
- Registry title
- The Plasticity of Social Brain Network in Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Status
- Recruiting
- People taking part
- 120 people, planned
- Started
- 1 Jan 2021
- Expected to end
- 31 Dec 2027
- Type of study
- Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets a sham (pretend) treatment, for comparison.
- Treatments tested
- PEERS
- Record updated
- 31 July 2026
Who can take part
AI summary
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.
The trial is looking for adults aged 18 to 50 with autism spectrum disorder who have social problems and want to take part in the treatment.
- Age
- 18 to 50 years
- Sex
- All sexes can join.
- Disease stage
- Autism spectrum disorder diagnosed by a licensed professional using DSM5, with social problems, full-scale IQ above 70 on WAIS-IV, and a caregiver-reported Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) score of 26 or more.
Main reasons for not taking part
- History of major mental illness such as bipolar affective disorder, schizophrenia or psychosis, or neurological diseases
- Visual impairment or hearing impairment
- Metal or electronic parts in the body that cannot be removed
- Being pregnant (fMRI scan may not be possible)
The registry criteria, word for word
Show all 11 criteriaShow less
Who can take part
- age between 18 and 50
- diagnosed with ASD from licensed mental health or medical professional based on DSM5
- have social problems
- motivated to participate in the treatment
- fluent in chinese
- caregiver also fluent in chinese and motivated to participate
- had a full-scale IQ > 70 on WAIS-IV
- scored ≧ 26 on the caregiver-reported Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), indicating clinical impairment associated with ASD
Who cannot take part
- history of major mental illness, such as bipolar affective disorder, schizophrenia, psychosis, or neurological diseases
- visual impairment and/or hearing impairment
- any metal, electronic part that cannot be removed from the body, or being pregnant, which may not be able to use fMRI scan
Check if you might fit
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 18 and 50 years old?
Where in Taiwan
- National Taiwan University HospitalTaipei, TaiwanContact: Yi-Ling Chien, MD, PhDTaking people
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
"Social brain" refers to brain regions dedicated to processing social information and enabling us to recognize and evaluate others' mental states. The social brain hypothesis suggests that our brains evolve to navigate complex social systems. The social brain is hypothesized to consist of a distributed network including the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS), the dorsal and ventral medial prefrontal cortices (dmPFC and vmPFC), ACC and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), the amygdala, the orbital frontal cortex (OFC), and the fusiform gyrus (FG), TPJ, inferior occipital gyrus (IOG), and the insula. Each region serves distinct role while works together to support social processing, including perceiving, interpreting, and generating responses to the intentions, dispositions, and behaviors of others.
The 2 groups in the trial
- ASD groupTreatment being tested
autistic adolescents with their caregiver
Treatment: PEERS
- Control groupSham treatment, for comparison
healthy control without their caregiver
Treatment: PEERS
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorData and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Official title
- The Plasticity of Social Brain Network in Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Plain-language title
- Studies how social brain networks change in adults with autismGenerated from the registry record. The registry title is the official one.
- AI summary
- From the trial's eligibility criteria. Read by machine on 12 November 2026.
- Fit questions
- Built from NCT05884853, who can take part
- Record updated
- 31 July 2026