Autism

Understanding the brain chemistry in autistic people

Type

In person

Age

18-60

Location

London

Time commitment

The study requires participants to visit us 3 times on separate days; each visit takes around 5 hours to complete. We will schedule your visit dates dependent on your availability.

Rewards and expenses

First visit £30, second visit £30, third visit £60. Travel expenses and costs for catering on the visit days will be reimbursed afterwards.

How to take part

About the study

Our aim is to measure serotonin levels in blood and to look at how brain chemistry, activity and processing changes when the serotonin system is active compared to when it is ‘resting’ in the autistic brain.

What will it involve?

On each visit we will ask you to have:

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scan done
Participate in electroencephalography (EEG) recording of brain activity
Intake one single dose of a drug acting on the GABA-receptors in the brain
Have a blood sample taken
Complete questionnaires

Apply to take part

Please tick the boxes to confirm you meet the basic participation criteria