This study evaluates the safety and efficacy of low-dose buprenorphine in patients with ASD by using standard ASD symptom assessment methods (e.g., SRS-2 and ABC) as well as AI-assisted analyses utilizing exploratory gaze patterns in conjunction with fMRI and electroencephalogram measurements to assess changes in brain functional status.
The study aims to assess the safety and efficacy of buprenorphine in patients with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in very low, lower, and higher dose groups and to explore the sensitivity and specificity of ophthalmoscopy for evaluating the efficacy of ASD treatment. Combined neuroimaging techniques to examine the effects of buprenorphine on neurologic function in ASD. In this study, changes in functional brain status will be assessed by using standard ASD symptom assessment methods (e.g., SRS and ABC) as well as algorithms utilizing AI's exploratory gaze patterns in conjunction with functional magnetic resonance and electroencephalography imaging to evaluate changes in the functional brain state of the very low-dose group (5 mg 1/9 at follow-up only), the lower-dose group (5 mg 1/9/week) and the higher-dose group (5 mg 1/3/week) buprenorphine safety and efficacy in patients with ASD. This study will validate the results of previous studies based on humans and rodents and is expected to develop an effective drug for treating the core symptoms of ASD with significant social and economic benefits. This is a randomized, three-arm, double-blind study in male/female subjects with ASD with a treatment duration of 56 days. Items to be evaluated include efficacy on ASD symptoms, safety, Day57's buprenorphine drug concentration in plasma, and changes in oculomotor, functional magnetic resonance, and electroencephalographic data before and after treatment. The effective dose is estimated based on the results of preclinical studies of buprenorphine in ASD model mice, using a dose of one-third or one-ninth of the available 5-mg buprenorphine transdermal patch.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE
Enrollment
60
Very-low dose group will receive medication on arrival before completing the relevant assessment tests; the very-low dose group will be administered 1/9 of a 5mg buprenorphine transdermal patch and replaced with a 0mg patch before returning home from the examination.
The lower dose group will be administered 1/9 of a 5mg buprenorphine transdermal patch.
The higher dose group will be administered 1/3 of a 5mg buprenorphine transdermal patch.
Peking University Sixth Hospital
Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS)
It is a screening tool for the diagnosis and assessment of autism in children aged 4-18 years that recognizes the presence of ASD-related social impairments and quantifies their severity. It identifies ASD-related social impairments and quantifies their severity. The scale consists of 65 questions categorized as Social Self-Consciousness, Social Cognition, Social Communication, and Social Self-Expression. The scale consists of 65 questions divided into five dimensions: social awareness, social cognition, social communication, social motivation, and autistic behavior. There are a total of 65 questions, with a minimum score of 1 and a maximum score of 4 for each question, with a total score range of 65-260. The higher the score, the more significant the condition.
Time frame: screening period, Day 1, Day 29, Day 57.
Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC)
It is a behavioral assessment tool for children with autism and is primarily used to assess the outcome of patients with mental retardation and autism. The scale consists of 58 items divided into 5 factors: emotional lability/self-injurious aggression (15 items), social withdrawal/stagnation (16 items), stereotypic behavior (7 items), hyperactivity (16 items), and inappropriate speech (4 items). There are a total of 58 questions, each with a minimum score of 0 and a maximum score of 3, with a total score range of 0-174. The higher the score, the more significant the condition.
Time frame: Day 1, Day 29, Day 57.
Clinical Global Impression (CGI)
It is an overall rating scale that is applicable to any psychiatric treatment and research subject. The comprehensive score is based on the two dimensions of efficacy and adverse reactions. The most effective and least adverse reaction score is 1 point, while the least effective and most adverse reaction score is 16 points. The score range is 1-16.
Time frame: screening period, Day 1, Day 29, Day 57.
Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS)
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It is a medication safety evaluation tool used by psychiatrists to assess side effects in patients taking psychotropic medications. There are a total of 29 questions, each with three dimensions: severity, relationship with medication, and treatment. The score range for severity is 0-4, with higher scores indicating greater severity. The score range for the relationship with drugs is 0-4, and the higher the score, the greater the relationship with drugs. The processing range is 0-6, and the higher the score, the greater the degree of processing.
Time frame: Day8, Day 29, Day 57.
Patient Global Impression (PGI)
There are two questions in total, namely severity and overall evaluation of efficacy. The score range for severity is 0-4, with higher scores indicating greater severity. The score range for the overall efficacy evaluation is 0-7, with higher scores indicating greater deterioration of the condition.
Time frame: Day 1, Day 29, Day 57.
Eye Tracking Test
Subjects will be seated in front of a monitor equipped with eye-tracking equipment. The equipment will be adjusted according to the subject's actual condition before the formal start. After commissioning, a 1-2 minute video will be played and eye movement data will be collected during the video. The eye movement data will be analyzed by quantifying the ratio of the length of time the patient looks at the face of the person appearing in the video to the length of time he/she looks at the geometric figure, the length of time he/she looks at the eye region of the person, and so on.
Time frame: screening period, Day 1, Day8, Day 29, Day 57.
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
Includes resting-state fMRI data, DTI data, and ASL data, collected during the screening period and at visit 5, respectively.
Time frame: screening period, Day 57.