Recruiting

rTMS

Sponsor:

Yale University

Code:

NCT04936009

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 40

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

Study Details

Brief summary:

This is a randomized interventional study designed to evaluate the effects of repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) on neural and behavioral facets of social cognition in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Study ID

NCT04936009

Start date

Mar 17, 2022

Status verified date

Feb, 2026

Completion date

Jul 1, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Dec 31, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 40

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Individuals between the ages of 18 and 40 years old with typical development or with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.
  • Individuals able to participate in an EEG and eye-tracking experiment.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Participants reporting significant head trauma or serious brain illness.
  • Participants with major psychiatric illness that would preclude completion of study measures.
  • Participants with a history of serious medical illness, stroke, seizures, epileptiform EEG abnormalities, or family history of seizures.
  • Participants taking prescription medications that may affect cognitive processes under study.
  • Participants who have taken alcohol or recreational drugs within the preceding 24 hours.
  • Females of known/suspected pregnancy or who test positive on a pregnancy test.
  • Participants with a history of metalworking or injury by shrapnel or metallic objects are also excluded.
  • Participants with a history of prior TMS therapy or use of an investigational drug within 12 weeks of visit.
  • Participants with an IQ (intelligence quotient) below 80.

Study Design

Enrollment

60 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Crossover

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

active comparator: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation - real

Participants will receive active TMS during their study visit

placebo comparator: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation - sham

Participants will receive sham stimulation during their study visit simulating TMS

Interventions

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

Subjects will receive both active and sham TMS in a randomized crossover assignment involving two study sessions

Primary outcome measure

  • right hemisphere N170 latency [ Time Frame: Measures will be recorded during the EEG/ET sessions of participant visits for an expected 1-2 hours ]
  • proportion of visual attention to the eye region of the face [ Time Frame: Measures will be recorded during the EEG/ET sessions of participant visits for an expected 1-2 hours ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Nicole Wright, BS

203-785-3488n.wright@yale.edu

Adam Naples, PhD

203-785-2583adam.naples@yale.edu

Locations

Yale University Child Study Center

Recruiting

New Haven, Connecticut, United States, 06520

Contacts

Nicole Wright

860-785-3488n.wright@yale.edu

Principal Investigator:

James McPartland, PhD

More Information

Sponsor

Yale University

Last update posted

Feb 9, 2026

Last verified

Feb, 2026

Keywords

  • Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-08. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Yale University on 2026-02-09.