NCT06524310Completed
Effects of rTMS on Cognitive Functions and Behavior in Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder
Effects of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) on Cognitive Functions and Behavior in Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder ( ASD)
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 21 Oct 2025
Brief summary (registry, in English)
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder with core symptoms that include impairments in social communication and restricted and repetitive behaviors, interests, and activities. Social cognition is a broad term used to understand, perceive, and interpret information about others and ourselves in a social context. Impairments in social cognition are often highlighted as a potential mechanism underlying social disability in autism spectrum disorder. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation is a noninvasive technique that modulates brain activity through targeted electromagnetic pulses. It's one of the methods used to deliver electrical stimuli through the scalp in conscious humans. Recently, rTMS has not only been used for the treatment of major depressive disorders, but it has also been advanced as a potential therapeutic technique to treat neurologic disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and multiple sclerosis, and many other neuropsychiatric disorders. High-order cognitive functions, such as Executive function (EF) and social cognition, rely on neural network oscillations in the gamma frequency (30-80 Hz) band. It has been proposed that GABA-inhibitory interneurons in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) contribute to the synchronization of pyramidal neurons, which is necessary for EF performance. Additionally, given the theory of abnormal synaptic plasticity and excitation/inhibition ratio in ASD, as well as the ability of TMS to modify cortical excitability and plasticity, it leads to exploring the therapeutic potential of rTMS in ASD. This study examines the effectiveness of low-frequency rTMS in improving social, cognitive, and sensory function in individuals with ASD. Further understanding of the effect of low-frequency rTMS in altering the cognitive function in ASD individuals with ASD may help to achieve some answers related to the mechanism behind ASD.
- Status (registry)
- Completed
- Study type
- Interventional
- Enrollment
- 35 (actual)
- First submitted
- 30 Jun 2024
- Start date
- 20 Jul 2024
- Primary completion date
- 30 Apr 2025
- Lead sponsor
- King Saud University
- Diseases
- Autism
- NCT number
- NCT06524310
What you commit to
- Study type: Interventional
- Participants enrolled: 35
- From 20 Jul 2024 to the primary completion date, 30 Apr 2025
- 1 site in 1 country
- Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them
Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.
Who cannot take part
Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.
Prior treatment
- Any individual with a previous Hx. Of head injuries
Other illness
- Individuals that are known to have epilepsy ( including Hx. of febrile convulsion) or have a family history of epilepsy.
- Any individual has been diagnosed with psychiatric illness, including ADHD, depression, psychosis, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, or OCD.
- Individuals using a combination of Psychotropic Medications known for their significant seizure threshold lowering potential, for example, and not as a limitation: Bupropion, Citalopram, Duloxetine, Fluoxetine, Fluvoxamine, Mirtazapine, Paroxetine, Sertraline, Venlafaxine, Tricyclics, Olanzapine, Quetiapine, Aripiprazole, Ziprasidone, and Risperidone.
Other
- The presence of metallic objects, e.g., cranium clips or implanted biomedical devices.
Who the study is looking for
- Male and female ASD individuals
- age between 5 and 11 years old
- diagnosed with ASD on prior clinical assessment using the American Psychiatric Association's DSM-V criteria and corroborated by assessment using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS).
- Normal hearing ability based on past hearing screens.
- Participation will be limited to higher functioning (intelligence quotient \[IQ\] \>70) to maximize successful completion of tested paradigms, maintain alertness/attention, furthermore, the ability to follow instructions.
Criteria the registry did not label
- Target population:
- Autistic individuals
- previously Diagnosed with ASD using the American Psychiatric Association's DSM-V criteria
- previously Diagnosed using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS).
Age in the registry: 5 years to 11 years · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers
Sites (1)
Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.
| Site | City | Country | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Physiology, Autism Research and Treatment Center (ARTC), King Saud University Medical City (KSUMC)/Collage of Medicine, King Saud University Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Riyadh | Saudi Arabia | Unknown status |
Related publications
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.