Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42590803›Full record

Trial reportCNS neuroscience & therapeutics2026

Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation Improves Sleep in Autism Spectrum Disorder by Reorganizing Overlapping Brain Networks With Neurochemical and Transcriptomic Signatures: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Huashuang Zhang, Bincan Xiong, Hongchi Liu, Yilin Huang, Jingwen Zhang, Ruimin Yu, Wenqi Jiang, Tongjia She

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in CNS neuroscience & therapeutics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the 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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

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

8 authors.

Huashuang Zhang *The Third Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Foshan University, Foshan, Guangdong, China.
Bincan Xiong *The Third Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Foshan University, Foshan, Guangdong, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2486-001X
Hongchi LiuInstitute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Yilin HuangThe Third Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Foshan University, Foshan, Guangdong, China.
Jingwen ZhangThe Third Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Foshan University, Foshan, Guangdong, China.
Ruimin YuThe Third Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Foshan University, Foshan, Guangdong, China.
Wenqi JiangThe Third Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Foshan University, Foshan, Guangdong, China.
Tongjia SheThe Third Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Foshan University, Foshan, Guangdong, China.

Funding

Foshan University high-level talent Start-up Funding CGZ07508Foshan University Student Academic Funding xsjj202519zrb03Foshan University Student Academic Funding xsjj202519zrc11Research Cultivation Program of The Third Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Foshan University FUTH2026C008Specialized Research Funding for the Technology Innovation of Foshan 2420001004544
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOverlapping network architecture supports functional integration and multifunctional regional engagement in the brain, and may serve as a candidate biomarker for interventions in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, the biological context underlying intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS)-related changes in overlapping network architecture remains poorly understood.

methodsSeventy patients with ASD and chronic insomnia were randomly assigned to receive either real or sham iTBS targeting the left orbitofrontal cortex, administered once daily for 8 weeks. The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were collected at baseline and after the intervention. The Shannon-entropy diversity coefficient was calculated to characterize overlapping network architecture. The JuSpace toolbox was used to assess spatial correspondence between iTBS-related network changes and neurotransmitter systems. Transcriptomic-neuroimaging association analyses were then performed using gene-expression data from the Allen Human Brain Atlas.

resultsSleep improvement following real iTBS was accompanied by changes in overlapping network architecture across 13 cortical regions. These changes showed spatial correspondence with mGluR5 and GABA_A receptor density maps. Regions showing iTBS-related network changes were associated with glutamatergic synaptic transmission and calcium-dependent signaling, enriched for cortical excitatory neuronal signatures with peak expression during adolescence, and organized into a highly interconnected protein-protein interaction network centered on the Ca

conclusionsThis study provides multiscale evidence for the biological context underlying iTBS-related changes in overlapping network architecture in ASD with chronic insomnia.

Indexed as

Autism Spectrum DisorderBrainNerve NetSleepSleep Initiation and Maintenance DisordersTheta RhythmTranscranial Magnetic StimulationTranscriptomeAdolescentAdultChildFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleYoung Adultautism spectrum disorderbiological contextinsomniatheta burst stimulation

Identifiers

PMID42590803
PMCPMC13469180

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.