Brain zapping study seeks to rewire social circuits in autism
NCT ID NCT06214065
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at whether a non-invasive brain stimulation technique called TMS can change brain activity related to understanding others' thoughts (mentalizing) in young adults with autism. Researchers will compare brain scans before and after stimulation in 80 participants, including some without autism. The goal is to learn how the brain's social network responds to stimulation, not to treat symptoms directly.
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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 80 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2024
- Expected to finish
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Oct 2027
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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18 to 35 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Estimated full-scale IQ\>80 * Right handed * Fluent in English * Individual can cooperate with all study's procedures * No history of neurological disorder (e.g. epilepsy) or neurosurgery * No major medical condition (e.g. cancer, heart failure) * No history of significant head injury * No primary relatives with history of any neurological disorder with a potentially hereditary basis, including epilepsy or MS * No current use of medications with psychotropic (e.g., benzodiazepines) or anti- or pro-convulsants * No current substance use (determined by urine screen and breathalyzer in all visits) * Negative urine pregnancy (women) test at time of MRI scans * No MR contra-indications (e.g. in-body metal implant, severe claustrophobia) * No previous participation in our lab in a study including the Domino fMRI task * For ASD: Stable medication treatment 4 weeks prior to study enrollment * For Control Group: No current or history of psychiatric disorders, other than simple phobia, and/or primary relatives with ASD Exclusion Criteria: \-
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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
1 site. 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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Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center (ONRC)
RECRUITINGHartford, Connecticut, 06106, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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