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Role of GABAergic Transmission in Auditory Processing in Autism Spectrum Disorder

NCT04798274 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 106

Last updated 2026-04-09

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Background:

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental syndrome. Researchers think brain development may be controlled by gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). They want to learn how abnormalities in the GABA system may contribute to ASD.

Objective:

To see if repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) creates short-term changes in how different parts of the brain communicate.

Eligibility:

Right-handed people ages 11-17 with ASD, and healthy volunteers ages 18-25.

Design:

Participants will be screened with:

Medical history

Physical exam

Medicine review

Neurological exam

Psychological tests and rating scales

Forms and surveys.

Participants will have a hearing test and ear exam.

Participants will have magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain. They will lie on a table that moves in and out of the MRI scanner. They may look at a screen while in the scanner. A coil will be placed over their head.

Participants will have magnetic resonance spectroscopy. It takes pictures of chemicals in the brain using the MRI scanner.

Participants will have magnetoencephalography. They will sit in a chair. A helmet with magnetic field sensors will be placed on their head.

Participants will have TMS. A wire coil will be held on their scalp. A brief electrical current will pass through the coil.

Participants will have electromyography. Sticky pad electrodes will be placed on the skin during TMS. The electrical activity of their muscles will be measured.

Participants will have rTMS. It uses short bursts of magnetic pulses to affect brain activity.

ASD participants may have visits scheduled as often as 1 time a week or as far apart as 2 months based on the participants or study team's availability. Healthy volunteers will have 3 visits over 3-4 weeks....

Conditions

Interventions

DEVICE

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation

Continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) will be applied using a MagPro X100 (MagVenture, Inc. Alpharetta, GA). The cTBS protocol consists of bursts of three pulses of 50 Hz stimulation repeated at 200 ms intervals (5 times per second) for 40 seconds (for a total of 600 pulses). Stimulation will be applied at an intensity of 80% of active motor threshold (AMT). Brainsight (Rogue Research) frameless neuronavigation system will be used to target the specific structural MRI-defined region of stimulation.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

    lead NIH

Principal Investigators

  • Daniel S Pine, M.D. · National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
DOUBLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
11 Years
Max Age
25 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2021-06-15
Primary Completion
2027-06-30
Completion
2027-06-30

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Entities

Diseases

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT04798274 on ClinicalTrials.gov