Table 1.
Summary table of study design, modality of TMS, recruited subjects, and study quality.
| Source | TMS modality | Experimental group | Control group | Control intervention | Risk of selection Bias | Risk of performance Bias | Risk of attrition Bias | Risk of detection Bias | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | Mean age (years) | Intellectual ability | N | Mean age (years) | Intellectual ability | |||||||
| Anninos et al., 2016 | Pico tesla TMS | 10 (6 male) | 8.3 ± 2.1 | Not reported | Same group subject to sham TMS | Low (randomized order) | Low (double-blind) | Low (no dropouts) | Low (double-blind) | |||
| Baruth et al., 2010 | rTMS | 16 | 13.9 ± 5.3 | IQ = 86 ± 24.7 | 9 ASD + 20 healthy subjects | ASD: 13.5 ± 2; healthy subjects: 15.3 ± 5.1 | Not reported | Waiting List | Low (randomized) | High (unblinded) | Low (no dropouts) | High (unblinded) |
| Casanova et al., 2012 | rTMS | 25 | 12.9 ± 3.1 | IQ>80 | 20 | 13.1 ± 2.2 | IQ>80 | Waiting List | Low (randomized) | High (unblinded) | Low (no dropouts) | High (unblinded) |
| Enticott et al., 2012 | rTMS | 11 (10 male) | 17.55 ± 4.06 | Not reported | Same group subject to sham TMS | Sham rTMS (left primary motor cortex) | Low (randomized order) | High (unblinded) | Low (no dropouts) | High (unblinded) | ||
| Enticott et al., 2014 | Deep rTMS | 15 (13 male) | 33.87 ± 13.07 | Not reported | 13 adults (10 males) | 30.54 ± 9.83 | Not reported | Sham rTMS | Low (randomized) | Low (double-blind) | Moderate (2 dropouts) | Low (evaluator-blinded) |
| Fecteau et al., 2011 | rTMS | 10 | 36.6 ± 16.0 | IQ = 122.4 ± 7.2 | 10 healthy controls; sham rTMS in experimental subjects | Sham rTMS (central lobe midline) | Low (pseudo-randomized, multiple crossover) | Low (double-blind) | Low (no dropouts) | Low (double-blind) | ||
| Ni et al., 2017 | iTBS | 19 (14 male) | 20.8 ± 1.4 | IQ = 100.5 ± 14 | Same group subject to sham iTBS | Sham iTBS (over the inion) | Low (randomized order) | High (unblinded) | Low (no dropouts) | High (unblinded) | ||
| Panerai et al., 2014; Study I | rTMS | 9 | 13.56 ± 1.83 | Severe mental retardation | Same group subject to sham TMS | Sham TMS | Low (randomized order) | Low (double-blind) | Low (no dropouts) | Low (double-blind) | ||
| Panerai et al., 2014; Study II | rTMS | HFrTMS: 6; LFrTMS: 6 | HFrTMS: 13.7 ± 1.96; LFrTMS: 13.33 ± 1.88 | Severe mental retardation | 5 | 13.24 ± 2.95 | Severe mental retardation | Sham TMS | Low (randomized) | Low (double-blind) | Low (no dropouts) | Low (double-blind) |
| Panerai et al., 2014; Study III | rTMS | 6 | 16.13 ± 3.11 | Severe mental retardation | Same group subject to sham TMS | Sham TMS | Low (randomized order) | Low (double-blind) | High (2 dropouts) | Low (double-blind) | ||
| Panerai et al., 2014; Study IV | rTMS | HFrTMS: 4; HFrTMS+ Eye–hand integration training: 4 | HFrTMS: 12.79 ± 2.88; HFrTMS+training 13.75 ± 5.18 | Severe mental retardation | 5 | 14.17 ± 4.24 | Not reported | Eye–hand integration training | Low (randomized) | High (unblinded) | Low (no dropouts) | High (unblinded) |
| Sokhadze et al., 2009 | rTMS | 8 | 18.3 ± 4.8 | IQ = 104 ± 19.9 | 5 | 16.2 ± 5.7 | IQ: 100.8 ± 12.4 | Waiting List | High (not randomized) | High (unblinded) | Low (no dropouts) | High (unblinded) |
| Sokhadze et al., 2012 | rTMS | 20 (16 male) | 13.5 ± 2.5 | IQ = 90.8 ± 15.2 | 20 (16 male) | 13.5 ± 2.5 | Not reported | Waiting List | High (no concealment, unrandomized, unpaired) | High (unblinded) | Low (no dropouts) | High (unblinded) |
| Sokhadze et al., 2014b | rTMS | 20 | 14.7 ± 3.3 | IQ>80 | 22 | 14.2 ± 2.8 | IQ>80 | Waiting List | High (no concealment, unrandomized, unpaired) | High (unblinded) | Low (no dropouts) | High (unblinded) |
| Sokhadze et al., 2014a | rTMS | 27 | 14.8 ± 3.2 | IQ>80 | 27 | 14.1 ± 2.6 | IQ>80 | Waiting List | High (no concealment, unrandomized, unpaired | High (unblinded) | Low (no dropouts) | High (unblinded) |
| Sokhadze et al., 2016 | rTMS | 25 (19 male) | 13.6 ± 3.22 | IQ>80 | 21 healthy controls | 14.9 ± 4.3 | Not reported | No control intervention | Not applicable | High (unblinded) | Moderate (2 dropouts) | High (unblinded) |
| Abujadi et al., 2017 | iTBS | 10 (male) | 9-17 | IQ>50 | No control group | Not applicable | High (open label) | Low (no dropouts) | High (open label) | |||
| Casanova et al., 2014 | rTMS | 18 (14 male) | 13.1 ± 2.2 | IQ>80 | No control group | Not applicable | High (unblinded) | High (2 dropouts; 2 excluded) | High (unblinded) | |||
| Gómez et al., 2017 | rTMS/tDCS | 24 | 12.2 (rTMS≥11;tDCS < 11) | Not reported | No control group | Not applicable | High (unblinded) | Low (no dropouts) | High (unblinded) | |||
| Sokhadze et al., 2010 | rTMS | 13 (12 male) | 15.6 ± 5.8 | IQ = 94.3 ± 16.6 | No control group | Not applicable | High (unblinded) | Moderate (1 dropout) | High (unblinded) | |||
| Sokhadze et al., 2017 | rTMS | 32 enrolled; final sample 27 (21 male) | 12.52 ± 2.85 | IQ>80 | No control group | Not applicable | High (unblinded) | High (3 droputs; 2 cases excluded) | High (unblinded) | |||
| Wang et al., 2016 | rTMS | 33 (28 male) | 12.88 ± 3.76 | IQ>80; 10 had IQ 65-79 | No control group | Not applicable | High (unblinded) | Moderate (3 dropouts) | High (unblinded) | |||
| Avirame et al., 2017, case 1 | Deep TMS | 1 (female) | 25 | Not reported | No control group | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | |||
| Avirame et al., 2017, case 2 | Deep TMS | 1 (male) | 30 | Not reported | No control group | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | |||
| Cristancho et al., 2014 | TMS | 1 (male) | 15 | Not reported | No control group | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | |||
| Enticott et al., 2011 | Deep rTMS | 1 (female) | 20 | Not reported | Not reported | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | |||
| Niederhofer, 2012 | rTMS | 1 (female) | 42 | Not reported | Same patient subject to sham TMS | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | |||
ASD, Autism Spectrum Disorder; HFrTMS, High-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation; iTBS, Intermittent Theta-burst stimulation; LFrTMS, Low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation; rTMS, Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation; tDCS, Transcranial direct current stimulation; TMS, Transcranial magnetic stimulation.