Multi-level treatment outcome evaluation in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder
Abstract Background Aberrant resting state electroencephalography (rsEEG) is a well-established indicator of psychopathological brain activity in clinical disorders. In Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a substantial body of research reports reduced Alpha activity in the electrocortical resting state...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2025-05-01
|
| Series: | Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-025-00909-1 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849325911938170880 |
|---|---|
| author | Gabriel Anton Auer Paul Lukas Plener Luise Poustka Lilian Konicar |
| author_facet | Gabriel Anton Auer Paul Lukas Plener Luise Poustka Lilian Konicar |
| author_sort | Gabriel Anton Auer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Aberrant resting state electroencephalography (rsEEG) is a well-established indicator of psychopathological brain activity in clinical disorders. In Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a substantial body of research reports reduced Alpha activity in the electrocortical resting state of affected individuals. However, effective interventions based on neurophysiological patterns and objective biological markers of treatment outcome remain scarce. Methods In this randomized controlled trial, the primary objective was to examine rsEEG changes in adolescents with ASD following 24 sessions of slow cortical potential neurofeedback training (n = 21) compared to a treatment-as-usual control group (n = 20). A repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to assess group differences over time. Additionally, Pearson correlation analyses were conducted to exploratorily investigate associations between rsEEG measures and clinical psychopathology and affective well-being, as assessed via parental and self-report questionnaires at baseline and post-intervention. Results Analyses revealed significant differences in the development of rsEEG between the intervention groups: while Alpha activity increased in the experimental neurofeedback group, it decreased in the control group, demonstrating an opposite trend. Exploratory analyses showed that Delta activity decreased in both groups, with a more pronounced decrease in the experimental group. Correlational analyses revealed significant associations between subjective-psychological and electrocortical levels: lower alpha power at baseline was related to greater severity of ASD symptoms, while both lower alpha and higher delta power were associated with greater negative affect at baseline. Increases in alpha power after NF-training were linked with enhanced positive affect, whereas reductions in delta power corresponded to decreases in negative affect. Conclusions This study provides insights into changes in resting-state neural activity before and after clinical interventions alongside clinical-psychological assessment, overcoming single-level assessments and emphasizing the need for multi-level outcome measures for a more comprehensive treatment evaluation. Clinical Trial Registration: DRKS00012339. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7b34b330cda2492fb0d49346592eda6e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1753-2000 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-7b34b330cda2492fb0d49346592eda6e2025-08-20T03:48:18ZengBMCChild and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health1753-20002025-05-0119111310.1186/s13034-025-00909-1Multi-level treatment outcome evaluation in adolescents with autism spectrum disorderGabriel Anton Auer0Paul Lukas Plener1Luise Poustka2Lilian Konicar3Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University of ViennaDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University of ViennaDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital HeidelbergDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University of ViennaAbstract Background Aberrant resting state electroencephalography (rsEEG) is a well-established indicator of psychopathological brain activity in clinical disorders. In Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a substantial body of research reports reduced Alpha activity in the electrocortical resting state of affected individuals. However, effective interventions based on neurophysiological patterns and objective biological markers of treatment outcome remain scarce. Methods In this randomized controlled trial, the primary objective was to examine rsEEG changes in adolescents with ASD following 24 sessions of slow cortical potential neurofeedback training (n = 21) compared to a treatment-as-usual control group (n = 20). A repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to assess group differences over time. Additionally, Pearson correlation analyses were conducted to exploratorily investigate associations between rsEEG measures and clinical psychopathology and affective well-being, as assessed via parental and self-report questionnaires at baseline and post-intervention. Results Analyses revealed significant differences in the development of rsEEG between the intervention groups: while Alpha activity increased in the experimental neurofeedback group, it decreased in the control group, demonstrating an opposite trend. Exploratory analyses showed that Delta activity decreased in both groups, with a more pronounced decrease in the experimental group. Correlational analyses revealed significant associations between subjective-psychological and electrocortical levels: lower alpha power at baseline was related to greater severity of ASD symptoms, while both lower alpha and higher delta power were associated with greater negative affect at baseline. Increases in alpha power after NF-training were linked with enhanced positive affect, whereas reductions in delta power corresponded to decreases in negative affect. Conclusions This study provides insights into changes in resting-state neural activity before and after clinical interventions alongside clinical-psychological assessment, overcoming single-level assessments and emphasizing the need for multi-level outcome measures for a more comprehensive treatment evaluation. Clinical Trial Registration: DRKS00012339.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-025-00909-1Resting state EEGAlpha brain activityAutism spectrum disorderNeurofeedbackBrain regulation training |
| spellingShingle | Gabriel Anton Auer Paul Lukas Plener Luise Poustka Lilian Konicar Multi-level treatment outcome evaluation in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health Resting state EEG Alpha brain activity Autism spectrum disorder Neurofeedback Brain regulation training |
| title | Multi-level treatment outcome evaluation in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder |
| title_full | Multi-level treatment outcome evaluation in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder |
| title_fullStr | Multi-level treatment outcome evaluation in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder |
| title_full_unstemmed | Multi-level treatment outcome evaluation in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder |
| title_short | Multi-level treatment outcome evaluation in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder |
| title_sort | multi level treatment outcome evaluation in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder |
| topic | Resting state EEG Alpha brain activity Autism spectrum disorder Neurofeedback Brain regulation training |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-025-00909-1 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT gabrielantonauer multileveltreatmentoutcomeevaluationinadolescentswithautismspectrumdisorder AT paullukasplener multileveltreatmentoutcomeevaluationinadolescentswithautismspectrumdisorder AT luisepoustka multileveltreatmentoutcomeevaluationinadolescentswithautismspectrumdisorder AT liliankonicar multileveltreatmentoutcomeevaluationinadolescentswithautismspectrumdisorder |