Social cognition in autistic spectrum

Miguel Castelo-Branco

CIBIT, Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) affect the way a person perceives emotions and socialises with others in a flexible way, often leading to difficulties with interaction and communication. As a result, most scientific efforts focus on interventions aimed at improving these two aspects. Drugs have been developed which, although somewhat successful in helping to control some of these manifestations, do not address the core symptoms. Behavioural therapies have also been introduced, which have yet to prove fully effective. They are very expensive and not suitable for intensive rehabilitation.

The project team recently completed a phase IIa clinical trial testing an approach that combines neurofeedback techniques and educational games within a brain-computer interface. The results showed that this combination of interventions has a significant impact on the strategies used by people with ASD to interact socially and communicate.

In the present project, they will conduct a phase IIb clinical trial using a brain-computer interface that incorporates educational games. The ultimate goal is to develop an inexpensive, portable, easy-to-use device that can be used anywhere, enabling people with ASD to improve their social and emotional cognition.

A medical brain computer interface device to improve social cognition in autism spectrum disorder

Stage 2