One Biomedical Engineer Believes It Is Possible Through Targeting the Amygdala
Xujun Duan, a professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, has recently conducted a clinical trial using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to target the amygdala in children with autism aged 3 to 7 years old. The researcher focused on this area of the brain due to the low functional connectivity between the medial prefrontal cortex and the amygdala and other regions of the so-called “social brain.” Her trial, which used imaging to guide treatment, found that the children in the amygdala-targeted group showed significant improvement in social and communication skills and increased eye fixation on social stimuli. The amygdala group also had decreased amygdala grey matter volume and activity following treatment. Duan and her colleagues hypothesize that personalized targeting of areas in the brain may improve the effects of TMS and suggest that the amygdala may be an effective target for other therapies.
