Autism Spectrum Disorder
Conditions
Interventions
Real cTBS + exergaming group:Participants in this group will receive both real continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) and exergaming training. In each session, real cTBS will be administered first,
during the following 3 weeks, stimulation will be applied to the right DLPFC. The exergaming intervention will last for 6 weeks, 4 sessions per week, for a total of 24 sessions, using a progressive an
Sham cTBS + exergaming group:Participants in this group will receive sham cTBS followed by exergaming training. The sham stimulation procedure will follow the same schedule, duration, and operational
Real cTBS group:Participants in this group will receive real continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) only and will not participate in exergaming training. The stimulation target is the dorsolateral
Sponsors
College of Physical Education, Shenzhen University
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: 1. Aged 6–12 years and right-handed; 2. Diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by two qualified pediatric clinicians according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5); 3. At a mild to moderate level of ASD, with basic language comprehension or communication ability, and able to cooperate with the completion of experimental tasks and intervention training under the guidance of the researchers; 4. No history of major head trauma, epilepsy, tic disorders, or other serious neurological diseases; 5. No use of medications affecting central nervous system function within the past 6 months, or medication status has remained stable and has been evaluated by the research team as not affecting study implementation; 6. No severe cardiopulmonary disease, bone or joint disease, or other motor system disorders, and able to safely complete the exergaming intervention; 7. Normal vision and hearing, or normal after correction, sufficient to meet the requirements of the experimental tasks; 8. No contraindications to transcranial magnetic stimulation, such as a history of epilepsy, metallic implants in the body, cardiac pacemaker, cochlear implant, etc., and able to cooperate with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) data acquisition; 9. The guardian voluntarily signs the informed consent form and agrees to the child’s participation in this study.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: 1. Presence of severe intellectual disability, or lack of basic communication ability and task compliance, making the child unable to complete behavioral assessments, intervention training, or fNIRS data collection; 2. Receipt of TMS, tDCS, or other neuromodulation-related interventions within the past 6 months; 3. Presence of severe psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, or marked emotional/behavioral instability that makes participation in this study inappropriate; 4. Recent major infection, surgery, or other acute illness that may affect the safety of study participation or the interpretation of results; 5. Any other condition judged by the researchers to make the child unsuitable for participation in this study; 6. The guardian does not sign the informed consent form, or explicitly indicates withdrawal from the study during the research process.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Accuracy on the Go/NoGo task;Reaction time on the Go/NoGo task;Stroop task outcome (congruent condition);Stroop task outcome (incongruent condition);Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function; | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| demographic variable; | — |
Countries
China
Contacts
Public ContactZhanbing Ren
College of Physical Education, Shenzhen University.
Outcome results
None listed