Resting-State Functional Connectivity as a Predictor of tDCS Effects in Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)
- Electroencephalography
At a glance
- Phase
- Phase not stated
- Study type
- Interventional
- Sponsor
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
- Enrolment target
- 90
- Started
- 1 September 2025
- Main results due
- April 2027
- Study sites
- 1
- Registry updated
- 25 September 2026
Can you take part?
- Ages 12 years to 22 years.
- Open to any sex.
- You need the condition being studied — healthy volunteers are not accepted.
These are the headline rules only. Every study has a longer list, and whether you are eligible is decided by the research team at the site — never by this page.
Read the full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * being 12-22 years old * diagnosed with ASD given by registered psychiatrists or clinical psychologists according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5th Edition (DSM-5) criteria of ASD * able to communicate in Chinese Exclusion Criteria: * without a confirmed diagnosis from the clinical psychologist * history of other neurological and psychiatric disorders and head trauma * on psychiatric medication
What this study is about
In the sponsor’s own words, from the registry.
Background: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is a form of non-invasive brain stimulation that has aroused increased interests in the past decade. Not only that it is transient with little side-effects, and can be well-tolerated by children, it is also affordable and readily accessible, making it an appealing treatment option for autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Objective: (1) To evaluate the therapeutic effects of tDCS on improving cognitive function in patients with ASD, (2) to better understand the neural mechanisms underlying the neuromodulation effects of tDCS in patients with ASD, and (3) to determine whether resting-state functional connectivity measures can predict the therapeutic effects of active tDCS in individuals with ASD.
Methods: To assess the therapeutic effects and neural mechanisms of tDCS, 90 adolescents with ASD (age 12-22 years) will receive three stimulation conditions: cathodal tDCS of the left DLPFC, anodal tDCS of the left DLPFC and sham-tDCS with at least a week apart each time. During the active tDCS or sham-tDCS condition, the participants will be administered a computerized test battery (Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery, CANTAB®) to evaluate their cognitive function. EEG before and after the tDCS to evaluate the tDCS-induced alteration in their neural activity and functional connectivity.
Hypothesis: Drawing together the different evidence linking ASD with cortical hyper-excitability and disordered neural connectivity, as reviewed previously, the investigators hypothesize that, relative to a sham-tDCS condition, active cathodal (inhibitory) and anodal (excitatory) tDCS over the left DLPRC will induce stimulation-linked facilitation of learning and resultant improvement of cognitive functioning in patients with ASD.
In addition to the therapeutic effects of tDCS, enhanced neural connectivity, as indexed by altered level EEG theta coherence in patients with ASD, will mediate the beneficial effects of tDCS, relative to sham tDCS, on improvements in cognitive function. Moreover, resting-state functional connectivity will moderate the beneficial effects of active tDCS on cognitive function, relative to sham tDCS, such that participants with greater pre-treatment resting state functional connectively will evidence greater/less response to tDCS, relative to participants receiving sham tDCS.
Study sites(1)
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Recruiting
Showing 1 of 1 sites. 1 of the 1 site on this study is recruiting right now — a site can stop enrolling while the study as a whole is still open.
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT06878326. Trialion does not run this study, is not paid to refer anyone to it, and cannot enrol you. Eligibility is always decided by the research team at the site.
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