A new clinical trial conducted in China has demonstrated that a non-invasive brain stimulation technique (a-cTBS) improves social communication and language skills in children with autism. According to the results published in the medical journal The BMJ, the method is safe and, due to its short sessions, significantly more convenient for children than traditional stimulation.
Study Methodology
The study involved 200 children (167 boys and 33 girls) aged 4 to 10 years, half of whom also had intellectual disabilities. Over the course of 5 days, participants received 10 daily sessions of either active or sham (placebo) a-cTBS (accelerated continuous Theta Burst Stimulation). The stimulation targeted the left primary motor cortex, an area of the brain responsible for movement, language, and social cognition.
Key Findings
Assessments conducted one month after the completion of treatment showed that children in the a-cTBS group had significantly improved Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2) and language scores compared to the control group.
Regarding safety, side effects were recorded more frequently in the active therapy group (54.5% vs. 29.3% in the placebo group). The most common complaints were restlessness and scalp discomfort; however, all reactions were mild and resolved spontaneously without intervention.
Expert Conclusions
The researchers stated that these results demonstrate that a-cTBS could become an effective and scalable therapeutic option for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, in a companion editorial in The BMJ, experts emphasize that this method does not replace traditional psychosocial support or educational therapies. Instead, it should be considered one component of a multimodal approach to pediatric behavioral management in the future.
