Recently, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been applied to relieve symptoms in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this prospective, parallel, single-blinded, randomized study, we investigate the modulation effect of three-week tDCS treatment at the left dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in children with ASD. 47 children with ASD were enrolled, and 40 (20 in each group) completed the study. The primary outcomes are Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC), and the Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised (RBS-R). We found that children with ASD can tolerate three-week tDCS treatment with no serious adverse events detected. A within-group comparison showed that real tDCS, but not sham tDCS, can significantly reduce the scores of CARS, Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ), and general impressions in CARS (15th item). Real tDCS produced significant score reduction in the CSHQ and in CARS general impressions when compared to the effects of sham tDCS. The pilot study suggests that three-week left DLPFC tDCS is well-tolerated and may hold potential in relieving some symptoms in children with ASD.

中文翻译：

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自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 儿童左背外侧前额叶皮层经颅直流电刺激 (tDCS)

最近，经颅直流电刺激 (tDCS) 已被用于缓解自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 患者的症状。在这项前瞻性、平行、单盲、随机研究中，我们调查了三周 tDCS 治疗对 ASD 儿童左背外侧前额叶皮层 (DLPFC) 的调节作用。招募了 47 名 ASD 儿童，其中 40 名（每组 20 名）完成了研究。主要结果是儿童自闭症评定量表 (CARS)、异常行为检查表 (ABC) 和重复行为量表修订版 (RBS-R)。我们发现患有 ASD 的儿童可以耐受为期三周的 tDCS 治疗，而没有检测到严重的不良事件。组内比较表明，真正的 tDCS，而不是假 tDCS，可以显着降低 CARS、儿童睡眠习惯问卷 (CSHQ)、和 CARS 中的一般印象（第 15 项）。与假 tDCS 的效果相比，真实 tDCS 在 CSHQ 和 CARS 一般印象中产生了显着的分数降低。试点研究表明，左三周的 DLPFC tDCS 耐受性良好，可能具有缓解 ASD 儿童某些症状的潜力。