Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42009381›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2026

Electrical Stimulation of the Nucleus Accumbens for Severe, Refractory Self-Injurious Behaviour in Children (EASE-SIB): protocol for a randomised double-blinded crossover trial.

Karim Mithani, Savannah Sauter, Louis P Hagopian, Sara Breitbart, Seetha Sriharan, Fay Kisteroff, MyLoi Huynh, Sanaeyah Malik, Kevin E Thorpe, Joelene Huber and 2 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract readClinical Trial Protocol
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06529380 (A Randomized Trial of Deep Brain Stimulation of the Nucleus Accumbens for Severe Self-Injurious Behaviours in Children), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

NCT06529380 narecruitingnot on this map

A Randomized Trial of Deep Brain Stimulation of the Nucleus Accumbens for Severe Self-Injurious Behaviours in Children

TypeinterventionalSponsorThe Hospital for Sick ChildrenRan2024 to 2026Enrolled25ConditionsSelf-Injurious Behavior, Autism Spectrum DisorderArmsDBS ON, DBS OFF
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Karim MithaniDivision of Neurosurgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8094-3070
Savannah SauterDepartment of Behavioural Psychology, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Louis P HagopianDepartment of Behavioural Psychology, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Sara BreitbartDivision of Neurosurgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Seetha SriharanDivision of Neurosurgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Fay KisteroffDivision of Neurosurgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
MyLoi HuynhDivision of Neurosurgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Sanaeyah MalikDepartment of Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Kevin E ThorpeDalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Joelene HuberDivision of Pediatric Medicine and Developmental Pediatrics, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Carolina GorodetskyDivision of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
George M IbrahimDivision of Neurosurgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada George.ibrahim@sickkids.ca.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionSelf-injurious behaviour (SIB) consists of persistent, repetitive movements that can result in serious injury without suicidal intent. These behaviours are prevalent among children with neurodevelopmental disorders, including profound autism. Although many individuals benefit from currently available therapies, some exhibit treatment-refractory SIB that necessitates ongoing use of personal protective equipment and restraint, presumably due to stronger neurobiological drivers. We recently completed a phase I, open-label clinical trial demonstrating the safety, feasibility and preliminary efficacy of bilateral deep brain stimulation targeting the nucleus accumbens (NAc-DBS) in children with profound autism and severe, refractory SIB. The objective of the proposed study is to characterise the effectiveness of NAc-DBS in treating severe, refractory SIB in this unique and vulnerable population. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A single-centre, randomised double-blinded, crossover trial is proposed. Informed by the results of our pilot study, 25 subjects with autism spectrum disorder and severe, refractory SIB will undergo bilateral NAc-DBS. Following a 4-week recovery period, participants will be randomised to either group A (stimulation ON then OFF) or group B (stimulation OFF then ON). Each block will last 12 weeks, separated by a 2-week washout period. Following completion of the second block, all participants will enter a 6-month open-label phase with stimulation ON. The primary outcome is the difference in the Repetitive Behaviour Scale-Revised total score, between DBS-ON and DBS-OFF conditions. Secondary outcomes include measures of quality of life, caregiver burden, daily logs of SIB events and direct observation of SIB under structured analogues. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The proposed trial has been approved by the institutional Research Ethics Board (1000081171). Trial results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT06529380.

Indexed as

Autism Spectrum DisorderDeep Brain StimulationNucleus AccumbensSelf-Injurious BehaviorAdolescentChildChild, PreschoolCross-Over StudiesDouble-Blind MethodFemaleHumansMalePilot ProjectsRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicClinical ProtocolsDevelopmental neurology & neurodisabilityNeurosurgeryRandomized Controlled Trial

Identifiers

PMID42009381
PMCPMC13110573

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.