Atypical sensory selectivity and neural gain adaptation in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Atypical sensory selectivity and neural gain adaptation in Autism Spectrum Disorder - SEGA Study

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

DRKS

Registry ID

DRKS00028803

Enrollment

100

Registered

2023-01-04

Start date

2023-01-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-06-22

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

F84.0 F84.5

Interventions

Group 1: Eye-Tracking and Electroencephalography on adolescents with autism spectrum disorder Group 2: Eye-Tracking and Electroencephalography on neurotypical adolescents

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

12 Years to 18 Years

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: o ASD based on DSM-5 criteria and confirmed by ADOS-2 and ADI-R o NTC confirmed by SRS-16, SCQ, CBCL, and YSR below clinical cutoffs o cognitive ability within the normal range (70 – 130 IQ)

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: o medical conditions preventing eye-tracking (e.g. nystagmus) or EEG (e.g. epilepsy) o severe psychiatric comorbidity such as current depressive episode (moderate or severe), schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
We aim to (1) Assess the effect of LC-NE phasic activity as proxy of neural gain adaptation on atypical sensory selectivity in ASD. We hypothesize attenuated LC-NE phasic activity to be associated with decreased sensory selectivity. (2) Investigate salience and utility attribution as moderators of this putative effect. In ASD, we hypothesize effects that are supplementary to a genuine effect of attenuated LC-NE phasic activity. (3) Quantify an effect of LC-NE phasic activity on subsequent attention. In ASD, we hypothesize attenuated LC-NE phasic activity to be associated with reduced vFAN activation. The objectives will be investigated in a group-comparison study of ASD and neurotypical controls with the oddball paradigm by concurrent assessment of eye tracking and EEG. The hypotheses will be tested by experimental manipulations of LC-NE activity, stimulus salience, and task utility.	—

Measure

Time frame

We aim to (1) Assess the effect of LC-NE phasic activity as proxy of neural gain adaptation on atypical sensory selectivity in ASD. We hypothesize attenuated LC-NE phasic activity to be associated with decreased sensory selectivity. (2) Investigate salience and utility attribution as moderators of this putative effect. In ASD, we hypothesize effects that are supplementary to a genuine effect of attenuated LC-NE phasic activity. (3) Quantify an effect of LC-NE phasic activity on subsequent attention. In ASD, we hypothesize attenuated LC-NE phasic activity to be associated with reduced vFAN activation. The objectives will be investigated in a group-comparison study of ASD and neurotypical controls with the oddball paradigm by concurrent assessment of eye tracking and EEG. The hypotheses will be tested by experimental manipulations of LC-NE activity, stimulus salience, and task utility.

—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
We will assess concurrent eye tracking and EEG in the oddball paradigm, which evokes sensory selectivity to oddballs. In the proposed study, the oddball paradigm is operationalized as two tasks that allow independent manipulation of LC-NE activity (passive auditory oddball) as well as stimulus salience and task utility attribution (active visual oddball).	—

Countries

Germany

Contacts

Public ContactNico Bast

Klinik für Psychiatrie, Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie des Kindes - und Jugendalters, Goethe Universität, Frankfurt am Main, Deutschland

nbast@med.uni-frankfurt.de069 / 6301-6223

Outcome results

None listed

Source: DRKS (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Jun 27, 2026