Effects of non-invasive neurostimulation on autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review

Abstract

Non-invasive neurostimulation techniques (NIBS) have shown benefits in psychiatric conditions. While in ASD patients, no guideline has so-far been recommended on these techniques due to a lack of high-quality synthetic evidence. Here, a comprehensive search from database inception onward was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane library. Sham-controlled studies assessing the effects of NIBS in ASD patients were identified. After screening, twenty-two studies were included. A total of 552 patients were involved, and the sample size ranged from 5 to 78 patients. Although an iteration from exploratory attempts to more strictly designed trials has been seen to evaluate the efficacy of NIBS on ASD, further trials should also be needed to enable the clinicians and researchers to reach any consensus.Systematic review registration[https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021292434], identifier [CRD42021292434].

Accelerated theta-burst stimulation over the motor cortex improves social communication impairment in children with autism spectrum disorder: An open-label trial

“…In the past decade, a noninvasive neurostimulation technique, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), has been proposed as a potential therapeutic option for the modi cation of the pathological neuroplasticity involved in neuropsychiatric disorders, including ASD [8, [10][11][12]. It is hypothesized that rTMS may stabilize aberrant neural connectivity and remedy dysfunction in GABAergic and other neurochemical transmission in ASD [12][13][14].…”

“…It is hypothesized that rTMS may stabilize aberrant neural connectivity and remedy dysfunction in GABAergic and other neurochemical transmission in ASD [12][13][14]. Recent studies have suggested that rTMS could effectively treat restricted repetitive behaviors (RRBs), cognitive in exibility and executive functioning (EF) de cits in individuals with ASD [11,15,16]; however, the effects of rTMS on SCI symptoms have yielded inconsistent results, and the underlying mechanisms of treating SCI have not been fully investigated [17][18][19][20].…”

“…All of these factors can in uence the effectiveness of neuromodulation intervention; of these, the most basic and critical aspect is the stimulus target. Previous studies have shown considerable variation in stimulation targets, most of which were selected based on their association with ASD pathogenesis; common targets include the dorsolateral prefrontal cortical areas (DLPFC) and the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) [11,15,16]. The primary motor cortex (M1) might serve as a viable target for the treatment of SCI in ASD patients, as it is potentially involved in aspects of action execution [21][22][23][24][25], emotion evaluation [26,27], and language comprehension [28,29], all of which are essential in social communication.…”

Enhancing Implicit Mentalizing in Autism Spectrum Disorder with Theta-burst stimulation of the Right Temporoparietal Junction: A Randomized Sham-controlled Double-blind Crossover Study

“…The emergence of non-invasive neuromodulation techniques has presented an opportunity to investigate and modulate brain-behavior relationship 47 . In ASD which is characterized by social and cognitive deficits due to abnormal brain functioning, these techniques can be promising 39,48 . One such technique is theta-burst stimulation (TBS), a type of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) that uses a brief, high-frequency burst of magnetic pulses to modulate brain activity 49 .…”

“…The majority of TBS studies in ASD mostly examined cognitive and behavioral functioning. These studies specifically targeted regions such as the posterior STS and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), however, the outcomes have been inconsistent 48,[52][53][54][55][56][57] . To date, there has been a lack of research on the effects of rTMS on the rTPJ region in individuals with ASD and its impact on mentalizing abilities.…”