Differences in N-CAD Concentration and Brain Function Between Children With ASD and TD

Recruiting now

Conditions studied: ASD

In brief

The incidence of autism spectrum disorders is increasing, about 1 / 36. Neural cadherin (NCAD) is closely related to synaptic structure and function. The cdh2 gene encoding NCAD has been shown to be associated with a variety of neurodevelopmental diseases and is one of the six risk genes for ASD. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a neuroimaging technology that uses the principle of near-infrared spectroscopy to detect the functional activation of human cortex. The application of fNIRS to explore the neural mechanism of children with ASD has developed rapidly. It has the advantages of non-invasive, portable, relatively low cost and unlimited physical activity. And for ASD children, their command compliance and self-control are relatively low, so fNIRS is more widely used in ASD children. According to dsm-5 standard, we recruited ASD children and TD children, collected their peripheral blood, and detected the plasma n-cad concentration. At the same time, the resting state of fNIRS of the two groups of children was collected, and the ultra scan monitoring was carried out simultaneously during Gesell assessment. The purpose of this study was to explore the difference of peripheral blood NCAD concentration between preschool ASD children and TD children and the difference of brain function in resting state and social interaction state. And the relationship between the characteristics of brain function and the level of cognitive development in children with ASD.

Key facts

Study ID: NCT07400484
Run by: Chen Li
People needed: 98
Starts: 2025-12-18
Expected to finish: 2026-03-31
Last updated by the study team: 2026-02-10

Who can join

Age: 3 and older, up to 5. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

Age at enrollment ≥ 3 years and <5 years;
The diagnosis was made by 2 developmental behavioral pediatricians or child psychiatrists with vice senior titles or above, and the history and clinical manifestations were in line with ASD and ICD-11 diagnostic criteria for ASD; .

You may not qualify if…

Diagnosis or manifestation of genetic diseases or syndromes related to ASD (such as Rett syndrome);
Medical or nervous system diseases affecting growth, development or cognition (such as central nervous system infection, epilepsy, congenital heart disease, etc.);
Sensory impairment such as vision or hearing loss;
Low birth weight (birth weight <2000 g) or preterm birth (gestational age <37 weeks);
Adopted children;
Parents refused to sign the informed consent form;
Other researchers consider it inappropriate to participate in the study.

Where it is running

Growth, Development and Mental health of Children and Adolescence Center — Chongqing, Chongqing Municipality, China (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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