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Neural Basis of Social Cognition Deficits

Neural Basis of Social Cognition Deficits in Youth With Autism and Schizophrenia

Who can join

As published by the study on ClinicalTrials.gov. "Not stated" means the study hasn't said — ask the study team.

Age
12 Years to 18 Years
Sex
All sexes
Healthy volunteers
Not accepted
Compensation
Not stated

Other requirements are listed under Eligibility below. Only the study team can confirm whether you can join.

What to expect

No one can promise a trial will help you personally — that is what the research is trying to find out.

What participation involves

  • Procedures mentioned: MRI scans

Only what the study's summary and detailed description on ClinicalTrials.gov say. Time periods may describe the whole study or a part of it — ask the study team what applies to you.

Show the study's own words
  • "All participants will receive pre- and post-treatment MRI scans including functional MRI and magnetic resonance spectroscopy to quantify neural changes resulting from the intervention."
Compensation
Not stated
  • Study-related exams and procedures are typically provided at no cost. This is how many trials work in general — confirm the details for this study with the study team.
  • Participants are monitored closely by the research team throughout the study.
  • Some participants may receive access to an investigational treatment, which is still being studied.
  • Your participation helps researchers learn whether this approach could help future patients.

About this study

In plain language

This study looks at how a 16-week social skills program with parent help may change the brain and improve friendships. It is for teens ages 12–18 with autism or schizophrenia-related disorders, plus typically developing teens for comparison. All teens will have brain scans and behavior tests twice, but the comparison group will not take the program.

Difficulties in reciprocal social interaction are hallmark features of several neuropsychiatric disorders, most notably autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD). While recent studies have demonstrated substantial overlap in genetic etiology between ASD and SSD, little is known about common versus unique neural mechanisms that may underlie these downstream social deficits that cross diagnostic boundaries. Thus, a comprehensive imaging study examining social deficits in youth with ASD and adolescent- onset SSD at the neurochemical, connectivity, as well as functional activation level will be crucial in furthering our understanding of these underlying neural mechanisms. Specifically, the current project aims to examine how targeted social skills interventions may impact the organization of large-scale functional brain networks implicated in social cognition in these disorders, leading to improved outcomes. Thirty adolescents with ASD and 30 adolescents with SSD will undergo the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS), which is a 16-week parent-assisted social skills intervention that aims to improve friendship quality and social skills in teens with social difficulties. All participants will receive pre- and post-treatment MRI scans including functional MRI and magnetic resonance spectroscopy to quantify neural changes resulting from the intervention. All participants will also receive behavioral and social cognition assessments pre- and post-intervention to quantify real- world gains in social behaviors resulting from the intervention. Additionally, 30 typically developing adolescents will be recruited to serve as control participants and undergo two MRI and behavioral assessment sessions 16-weeks apart with no intervention in between. Specific aims include (1) examining inter-group disruptions in connectivity patterns, activation levels, and neurometabolite concentrations in key social brain regions pre-treatment in ASD and SSD groups, (2) examining inter-group changes in connectivity patterns, activation levels, and neurometabolite concentrations in key social brain regions in response to treatment in ASD and SSD groups, and, (3) dimensionally identifying intra-group differences in brain responses and how they relate to real-world treatment outcomes.

Compensation is read from the study's own description and may be missing — always confirm with the study team.

Eligibility

Who can join

  • Be 12–18 years old.
  • Have autism confirmed by study testing, have a qualifying schizophrenia-related disorder, or be a typically developing teen in the comparison group.
  • Qualifying schizophrenia-related disorders include schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder, schizoaffective disorder, or an unspecified schizophrenia spectrum or other psychotic disorder. These disorders can affect thinking and a person's sense of what is real.
  • Have scores of 70 or higher on both verbal IQ and overall IQ tests, which measure language and thinking skills.
  • Teens with autism or schizophrenia-related disorders will take part in the 16-week PEERS social skills program.

Who can't join

  • A history of a major medical or nervous system condition, such as epilepsy (seizures) or a tumor, that could affect brain scan results.
  • Any history of a mental health disorder in teens joining the comparison group.
  • Anything that makes an MRI brain scan unsafe, such as a past injury involving metal fragments, metal implants, braces, or retainers that cannot be removed.

Simplified for readability. The official criteria below are what the study team uses.

Official eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria: Participants in this study will be 30 ASD adolescents and 30 demographically matched adolescents with SSD who undergo the PEERS social skills training program. Participants will be between the ages of 12-18 years, and mostly male reflecting the higher prevalence in the population of ASD, and to a lesser extent, SSD. The ASD adolescents will be recruited through the Loma Linda University Behavioral Health Institute (LLU BHI), LLU Behavior Medicine Center (BMC), and LLU Department of Psychology Child and Family Center (CFC). The SSD adolescents will be recruited from the BMC inpatient, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and standard outpatient programs for youth with psychosis. Thirty demographically comparable typically developing (TD) controls will be recruited through community samples, and in compliance with the LLU Institutional Review Board (IRB) standards. Before enrolling in the proposed MRI studies, prospective ASD participants will undergo testing with experienced assessors. Clinical diagnosis will be confirmed using both the Autism Diagnostic Interview- Revised, and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, 2nd edition. SSD participants will be screened using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) Axis I diagnoses, with additional modules for assessment of childhood disorders. SSD participants must meet criteria for schizophrenia, schizophreniform, schizoaffective disorder, or unspecified schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorder. All study participants will have verbal IQ as well as Full Scale IQ of 70 or higher on the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI-II) to ensure they will have the language and cognitive ability to participate in an MRI scan. Exclusion Criteria: Exclusion criteria will include history of significant medical/neurologic conditions that would affect neuroimaging interpretation (e.g., epilepsy, tumor), and any psychiatric history for TD controls. Participants with any MRI contraindications (e.g., history of metal fragment injury or metal implants, current orthodontic braces or nonremovable retainers) will also be excluded in compliance with scanner safety standards.

Study sites (1)

CA