Effects of Transcranial Pulse Stimulation on ASD

The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of TPS on young adolescents with ASD. Methods: This is a two-armed, randomized, double-blinded, sham-controlled trial. Sampling: A total number of 36 subjects, aged between 12 to 17, diagnosed with ASD, will be recruited. Individuals with a Childhood of Autism Rating Scale (CARS) score ≤ 30 (i.e., no ASD) will be excluded. Recruitment: Subjects will be recruited from the community. Block randomization will be performed to allocate subjects to either the verum TPS group or the sham TPS group on a 1: 1 ratio. Interventionists and subjects will be blinded in the randomization process. Intervention: Intervention: Six 30-minures TPS sessions will be delivered to the verum TPS group (800 pulse in each session, total: 4800 pulse) in consecutive two weeks. The treatment brain region is targeted at the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ). The sham- controlled group will be given 6 sham TPS sessions. Data collection: All participants are required to undertake pre-and-post fMRI and resting-MRI before the TPS procedures. Outcomes: Primary outcome of this study is CARS, and secondary outcomes include Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), Australian scale for Asperger's syndrome (ASAS), Social Responsive Scale (SRS), Faux Pas Recognition Test (FPRT), Stroop test, working memory, Clinical global impression - severity and improvement scale (CGI-S and CGI -I) and neuroimaging. All outcome measures will be assessed at baseline, two weeks immediately after intervention and at 1-month and 3-months follow-up.