Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is a complex developmental disorder characterized by impairments in social communication and stereotyped behaviors. Electroencephalograph (EEG), which can measure neurological changes associated with cortical synaptic activity, has been proven to be a powerful tool for detecting neurological disorders. The main goal of this study is to explore the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on behavioral response and EEG. We enrolled 32 autistic children, rTMS group ( n = 16) and control group ( n = 16) and calculated the relative power of the δ, θ, α, β rhythms in each brain area by fast Fourier transform and Welch's method. We also compared Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) scores of the patients before and after rTMS. The results showed a significant decrease in the relative power of the δ band on right temporal region and parietal region and also a decreased coherence on frontal region after rTMS intervention. The study proves that rTMS could have positive effects on behavior of attention, execution ability, and language ability of children and could reduce their stereotyped behavior and radical behavior.
孤独症谱系障碍（ASD）是一种涉及多种神经系统的复杂发育障碍性疾病，主要表现为社交沟通障碍以及刻板行为。脑电图（EEG）测量与皮层突触活动相关的神经电生理变化，对检查者无损伤，已被证明是检测神经疾病的有力工具。为深入研究低频重复经颅磁刺激（rTMS）应用于 ASD 患者康复的作用，本文招募 32 名 ASD 被试，其中 16 名 ASD 患者作为实验组，16 名 ASD 患者作为对照组，用频率为 1 Hz 的 rTMS 调控实验组，基于快速傅里叶变换提取额叶、顶叶、左颞叶、右颞叶、枕叶五个脑区的节律，用非参数估计中的 Welch 法计算四个频段的相对功率及额叶内通道之间的相干性，并分析所有 ASD 被试干预前后静息态脑电特征值的变化。统计实验组干预前后的孤独症行为量表（ABC），计算并比较干预前后各项指标得分。结果显示经过 rTMS 干预之后，ASD 患者右颞叶和顶叶 δ 频段的相对功率普遍降低，额叶通道之间的相干性降低。此研究表明 rTMS 能够改善 ASD 患者的注意力、执行能力、语言能力，减少刻板行为和过激行为。.
Keywords: autism spectrum disorder; coherence; electroencephalogram; relative power.