White matter alterations linked to social cognitive improvements following theta burst stimulation of the right inferior frontal gyrus in autism

An 8-week course of neuro-navigated RIFG iTBS did not produce significant group-level white matter macro/microstructural changes compared to sham stimulation in our autistic cohort. Nevertheless, the finding that individual improvements in social cognition correlated with specific white matter alterations in the active group suggests a potential link between treatment-induced benefits and neural plasticity. Future studies should investigate whether different TBS parameters could induce more pronounced or detectable structural changes on MRI in autistic individuals and further explore the intricate mechanisms underlying observed brain-behavior relationships.