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NCT Number: NCT05884853

The Plasticity of Social Brain Network in Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder

"Social brain" refers to brain regions dedicated to processing social information and enabling us to recognize and evaluate others' mental states. The social brain hypothesis suggests that our brains evolve to navigate complex social systems. The social brain is hypothesized to consist of a distributed network including the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS), the dorsal and ventral medial prefrontal cortices (dmPFC and vmPFC), ACC and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), the amygdala, the orbital frontal cortex (OFC), and the fusiform gyrus (FG), TPJ, inferior occipital gyrus (IOG), and the insula. Each region serves distinct role while works together to support social processing, including perceiving, interpreting, and generating responses to the intentions, dispositions, and behaviors of others.

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Key information

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder Child Development Disorders, Pervasive Mental Disorders Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Age range

18 year–50 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

National Taiwan University Hospital

Taipei, Zhongzheng Dist., 100229, Taiwan

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Yi-Ling Chien, MD, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+886223123456 ext. 66013

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • age between 18 and 50
  • diagnosed with ASD from licensed mental health or medical professional based on DSM5
  • have social problems
  • motivated to participate in the treatment
  • fluent in chinese
  • caregiver also fluent in chinese and motivated to participate
  • had a full-scale IQ > 70 on WAIS-IV
  • scored ≧ 26 on the caregiver-reported Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), indicating clinical impairment associated with ASD.

Exclusion criteria

  • history of major mental illness, such as bipolar affective disorder, schizophrenia, psychosis, or neurological diseases
  • visual impairment and/or hearing impairment
  • any metal, electronic part that cannot be removed from the body, or being pregnant, which may not be able to use fMRI scan.

Treatment and study plan

PEERS

Behavioral

The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) studies is an evidence-based 16-week group-based social skill training program developed for adolescents and young adults with ASD.

Primary outcomes

  1. Autism Diagnostic Interview Revised, ADIR

    Time frame: 16 weeks

    Interview of the caregivers that covers most developmental and behavioral aspects of ASD. Range from 0 to 8, higher the score, worse the symptom.

  2. The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, ADOS

    Time frame: 16 weeks

    Diagnosing and assess autism. Range from 0 to 8, higher the score, worse the symptom.

  3. Autism Spectrum Quotient

    Time frame: 16 weeks

    50 items, total score range from 0 to 50. Higher the score, worse the symptom

  4. Social Responsiveness Scale, Second Edition (SRS-2)

    Time frame: 16 weeks

    65 items, total score range from 65 to 260. Higher the score, worse the symptom

  5. Quality of Socialization Questionnaire (QSQ)

    Time frame: 16 weeks

    12 items, total score range from 0 to 12.Higher the score, better the frequency and quality of socialization

  6. The Empathy Quotient (EQ)

    Time frame: 16 weeks

    40 items, total score range from 0 to 80. Higher the score, worse the empathy

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Yi-Ling Chien, MD, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+886223123456 ext. 66013

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

National Taiwan University Hospital

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2021
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Jun 1, 2023
Registry last updated
Jul 31, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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