Clinical trial of autism treatment shows promise

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A small clinical trial published this month in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders confirms that people with autism experienced less severe symptoms after researchers pulsed a low frequency magnetic field around their brains.

The treatment, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), is still in early testing stages, but has potential to become an effective treatment for the major symptoms of autism, said neuroscientist and principal investigator Manuel Casanova.