Active clinical trials for "Autism Spectrum Disorder"

This research study investigates the effects of oxytocin and vasopressin on brain activity in adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Background: - Oxytocin and vasopressin are two hormones produced in the brain. Both hormones can influence activity in brain regions such as the amygdala that are involved in social and emotional processing. There is evidence suggesting that oxytocin and vasopressin may be implicated in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Objectives: -Here, we use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess the effects of oxytocin and vasopressin on brain activity in adult healthy volunteers and adults with ASD. Eligibility: - Right-handed individuals between 18 and 40 years of age who either have been diagnosed with autism, Asperger s disorder, or Pervasive Developmental Disorder- Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), or are healthy volunteers. Design: This study requires 3 outpatient visits to the NIH Clinical Center in addition to a screening visit. Each visit will last about 2.5 hours. Participants may not smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol or caffeinated beverages for 12 hours before each visit. During each visit, participants will receive a nasal spray that contains one of the following: oxytocin, vasopressin, or placebo. Participants will receive a different spray at each visit. After using the nasal spray, participants will have an MRI scan of the brain while performing tasks with social and emotional stimuli. After the MRI scan, participants will complete questionnaires about mood and reaction to the tasks, and will remain in the clinic until the effects of the study medication have worn off. Participants will be contacted 1 day after each MRI scan for follow-up purposes.

This study will examine whether DMSA, an oral chelating agent that removes mercury and other metals from the body, is beneficial for children with autism. DMSA is commonly used to treat autism, although it has never been tested in a controlled study and there is no proof that it helps children with the disorder. Support for its use is based on single-case reports of benefits of chelation with DMSA. This study will help determine whether or not DMSA is useful for treating autism. Children between 4 and 10 years of age with autism spectrum disorder who weigh at least 33 pounds, who have detectable, but not toxic, levels of mercury or lead in the blood, and who have not previously received chelation therapy may be eligible for this study. Participants complete a medical history, behavioral and psychological assessment and physical examination. Blood, hair, urine and stool samples are collected for testing. Because DMSA can remove minerals the body needs, such as zinc and iron, as well as the toxic lead and mercury, participants take a daily multivitamin supplement starting 1 month before beginning chelation therapy and continuing for the duration of treatment. After 1 month of the supplementation regimen, the children are assigned to receive DMSA or placebo for 12 weeks, divided into six 2-week cycles. They take the assigned drug 3 times a day on days 1, 2 and 3 of each cycle and continue the multivitamin every day. The children are seen in the clinic immediately before and after the first, third and sixth cycles. At each checkup, the parent or guardian answers a set of questions about the child's autism symptoms, physical health and medication side effects. Blood, urine and stool samples are collected for laboratory testing. ...

This is a multi-center, non-randomized, open-label, parallel group, multiple-dose study to assess the pharmacokinetic, safety, and tolerability of balovaptan in male and female subjects with moderate hepatic impairment compared to healthy subjects with normal hepatic function matched by age (±10 years), sex, and body mass index (BMI; ±20%).

The present study aims to expand the availability of emotional supports in order to promote successful transitions and longer-term outcomes for autistic students in PSE.

This single center, double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial will assess the efficacy and safety of extraction of cannabis flowers dissolved in olive oil (30% CBD and 1.5% Δ9-THC) vs. placebo in patients diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The trial will contain two phases in which patients will first receive a twelve-week treatment of either cannabis or placebo followed by four weeks wash out period and another twelve weeks of crossover in the trial arms.

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the presence of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder places parents at increased risk for divorce.

The main objective of this exploratory 8 week pilot study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of buspirone for the treatment of anxiety in youth (ages 6-17 years) with autism spectrum disorders. The study results will be used to generate hypotheses for a larger randomized controlled clinical trial with explicit hypotheses and sufficient statistical power.

: The objective of this study is to determine the tolerability and therapeutic potential of oxytocin in children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) when paired with a computer game intervention that is designed to enhance face perception skills. We designate two measures as our primary outcomes, based on prior published work with these interventions, and we propose a sample based on power analyses from these prior results. A second objective of this study is to learn about the breadth of possible positive effects that this combination therapy might have for children with ASD. To this end, we include a host of other exploratory measures that assess aspects of social motivation and attention, social perception, and social cognition. Thus, a second objective is to conduct a "signal finding" study - to gather outcome data on a range of dependent variables that theoretically should be related to oxytocin's effects on social processes, but for which there are no prior data. The signal finding aspect of this study will provide the preliminary data needed to design a more targeted follow up study.

This is a collaborative study that will provide a comprehensive source of observational data that can be used to obtain real world evidence of ASD. The study will contain demographic and observational clinical data for eligible participants. All decisions regarding patient care will be determined by the ECHO Autism Clinician (EAC). All clinical outcomes will be assessed by the EAC as would occur in routine clinical practice.

The purpose of this study is to establish a new Chinese children's speech and language norm by obtaining the latest data of speech and language development of children aged 2 ~ 6 from different regions in China. At the same time, the overall development level and group differences of speech and language in Chinese children aged 2 to 6 years, and the influencing factors of speech and language development in Chinese children aged 2 to 6 years were also discussed.