Some autistic traits related to challenges with social interaction, mental flexibility and visual perception could be alleviated through a new, noninvasive therapy. A team of researchers, including those from the University of Tokyo, found that stimulating nerve cells when the brain becomes "stuck" in a certain state improves flexibility and relieves some autistic behaviors. The procedure utilized transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), which is already used to treat certain mood disorders, in a novel manner. Over 40 adults with a mild form of autism participated, and the therapeutic effects lasted for up to two months after the last session. This study could contribute toward projects enabling new treatments.
The number of people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been increasing for several decades, partly due to improved testing and also understanding of this broad developmental condition. ASD can affect how a person interacts socially and with their environment to varying degrees. This can manifest particularly tough challenges with communication and social interaction, as well as restrictive and repetitive behaviors.
Professor Takamitsu Watanabe, a psychiatrist and cognitive neuroscientist from the University of Tokyo's International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), became interested in ASD after listening to his patients. "I realized various autistic traits were not fully accounted for in a biologically comprehensive manner and thus, at least when I started my career as a psychiatrist some years ago, no neurobiological treatment was established. So, I began a series of studies," he said.
