ArticleAlpha psychiatry2025
Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Excitatory/Inhibitory Balance and Behavior in Children With Autism-A Randomized Controlled Study.
Article in Alpha psychiatry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Excitation/Inhibition Balance as a Mechanistic Link Between Sleep Disturbance and Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Bidirectional Framework.Alpha psychiatry · 2026Review
- Global scale-free brain activity as a potential neural signature of visual information processing in aging.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2026Article
- Understanding the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on the neurovascular unit: a narrative review.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a multifaceted neurodevelopmental disorder marked by impaired interactions and restricted interests, the pathophysiology of which is not fully understood. The current study explored the potential therapeutic effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on the neurophysiological aspects of ASD, specifically focusing on the brain's excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) balance and behavioral outcomes, providing scientific guidance for ASD intervention. Methods: Forty-two children with ASD were randomly divided into either an active tDCS or sham tDCS group. Electroencephalography (EEG) recordings were conducted before and after stimulation to assess E/I changesusing EEG markers including α oscillations and the aperiodic exponent, and average spatial phase synchronization (ASPS) analysis and detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) were performed. Behavioral changes were evaluated using the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) and the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). Results: Active tDCS resulted in significant increases in α oscillation power, reductions in α bandwidth, and improvements in γ-band ASPS and DFA values. Furthermore, participants in the active tDCS group exhibited improvements in behavioral scores on the ABC and SRS, with enhancements in social communication, sensory processing, and adaptive behavior. We found no significant changes in the sham group. Conclusion: These findings suggest that tDCS intervention effectively reduced brain excitability and improved E/I balance and behavioral outcomes in children with ASD. The results warrant further investigation into the efficacy and underlying mechanisms of tDCS for ASD treatment. Clinical Trial Registration: No: ChiCTR2400092790, https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=249950.
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