Diagnostic and Therapeutic Technologies for Autism Care

In recent years, advances in neuroscience research have paved the way for several important technologies to be used in autism treatment. At Cortica, we can use these technologies as part of our personalized assessments and treatment programs.

Electroencephalography

Electroencephalography (EEG) is a technique used to record the electrical activity of the brain. The EEG can reveal areas of abnormal activity (such as slow patterns of firing or hyper-synchronous regions of firing). The most common reason for an EEG is to aid in the diagnosis of seizures and to show whether there may be areas of abnormal electrical activity that could be impacting cognition, behavior, and/or development. An EEG also provides information about an individual’s sleep – in particular, the brain’s progression through the different stages of sleep and whether this is disturbed. An EEG is one of the best technologies available to guide our understanding of the brain’s electrical activity and what steps we can take to improve it.

Vagus Nerve Stimulation

Also called "Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation (CES)" or "transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation (tVNS)," vagus nerve stimulation is a technique where an electrical current is applied to the vagus nerve - a nerve that runs between the brain and many areas of the body, including the heart, gastrointestinal tract, and skin. The vagus nerve has important physical and emotional effects in the body and helps the body to achieve balance between states of stress (“fight or flight”) and states of relaxation (“rest and digest”). Electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve can be done either through an implanted device or through an external device applied to the skin. Vagus nerve stimulation is an FDA-approved treatment for seizures. Research studies also support vagus nerve stimulation as a treatment for depression. Recently, researchers at Harvard Medical School have identified transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation as a safe and promising therapy for those with autism.