Zapping a social brain region: can magnetic pulses help teens with autism read social cues?
NCT ID NCT07828457
First seen Sep 18, 2026 · Last updated Sep 18, 2026
Summary
Researchers are testing whether transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can improve social perception in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. The trial targets the right posterior superior temporal sulcus, a brain region involved in processing social information. Sixteen participants aged 10 to 17 receive both active and sham stimulation in a randomized, double-blind crossover design. Each treatment period involves five sessions per day for four consecutive days. The team measures changes in eye-gaze patterns during social scenes and brain function using MRI.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) targeting the right posterior superior temporal sulcus
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a non-invasive brain stimulation option for easing social difficulties in young people with autism.
- What could go wrong
- The trial is very small, with 16 participants, and uses a crossover design that tests each person twice. Brain stimulation effects on social behavior may not hold up, and TMS carries a small risk of headache or seizure.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 16 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Oct 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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10 to 17 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) according to DSM-5 criteria and confirmed by the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R). * Aged 10 to 17 years, inclusive. * Able to undergo an MRI examination. * Affiliated with or beneficiary of a social * Affiliated with or beneficiary of a social security system. * Written informed consent provided by the participant and/or their legal representative Exclusion Criteria: * Presence of epilepsy or a history of seizures. * Contraindication to TMS, including personal or family history of epilepsy, history of craniotomy, cardiac pacemaker, intraocular or intracerebral metallic foreign body, cochlear implant, cardiac valve or metallic surgical material, or any material likely to concentrate radiofrequency pulses, and open wounds on the head or irritated scalp. * Contraindication to MRI, including cardiac pacemaker, intracorporeal metallic foreign body, or occupational exposure to metallic particles. * Presence of a neurological condition (epilepsy, cerebral palsy, neuromuscular disease, neurological sequelae of brain injury, or central nervous system malformation) * Initiation, discontinuation, or modification of treatment with neuroleptics or benzodiazepines during the previous month (unstable treatment) * Pregnancy or breastfeeding (based on patient/parental interview). * Current participation in another clinical trial.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Hôpital Necker - Enfants Malades - Service de radiologie pédiatrique
Paris, 75015, France
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Plateforme CENIR_PANAM au centre de Neuro Imagerie de recherche à l' " Institut du Cerveau " (ICM)
Paris, 75013, France