Researcher
Michael Cheng
Principal Investigator
Dr. Hsiang-Yuan Lin
Institution
University of Toronto
Centre for Addictions and Mental Health
Grant Type
Undergraduate – 2024
Disorder
Autism
About the researcher
Michael Cheng
was an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto while conducting this research.
Psychiatrists and people with Autism currently have very limited tools for managing social difficulties and repetitive behaviours associated with Autism. A technology called “repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation” (rTMS) that stimulates or inhibits specific brain regions using magnetic fields has successfully been used to manage psychiatric conditions such as depression in a quick, cost-effective manner. We believe rTMS could be a powerful tool for managing core autistic traits and helping autistic people and care providers manage their mental health.
The brain circuitry involved in understanding body language is thought to differ in neurotypical and autistic people, and this difference is thought to contribute to the manifestation of autistic traits like social difficulties and repetitive behaviours. Modulating the brain’s response to body language could be a powerful way of managing autistic traits more broadly, and provide a much needed tool for psychiatrists. Specifically, we think that stimulating regions of the brain involved in processing body language like the cerebellum and pSTS using magnetic fields could be particularly effective at modulating brain activity associated with autism.
We are hoping to look further into the mechanisms linking body language and autistic traits in the brain. Stimulation of the pSTS and cerebellum lead to different responses in our study, and we are hoping to explore the reasons for the difference further. An effective rTMS protocol for managing autistic traits would be an important breakthrough in clinical care!
Our Address
Branch Out Neurological Foundation
c/o Quickly
Suite 450, 1414 8 ST SW
CALGARY AB T2R 1J6
