The Santos Dumont Institute (ISD) has had a research project approved by the Knowledge Brazil Program, an initiative of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) that promotes network projects with Brazilian researchers abroad. The research will receive approximately R$440 thousand in resources, as announced in the program's final call.
Led by ISD professor-researcher Denis Delisle Rodriguez, the project aims to develop intelligent systems and neurofeedback-based interventions to improve attention and verbal communication in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). “The project’s unique feature is the use of neurofeedback in multiple cortical regions, using brain-computer and brain-brain interfaces to improve cognitive and communication skills in children with ASD who do not have verbal language,” explains Denis.
The project aims to offer three main contributions to autistic children with attention deficit and/or without verbal communication. The first is a new model applied to sustained attention training, using brain-to-brain collaboration in pairs of participants. With this, it is expected to promote the self-regulation of brain waves in regions that increase performance. The second contribution is the development of a therapy with serious games, combining sustained attention training to improve communication skills. Finally, the project aims to identify regions and brain waves involved in the mental reproduction of music, translating this knowledge into a new therapy that stimulates brain activities capable of enhancing the onset of speech in children without verbal communication.
Researcher Denis Delisle Rodriguez emphasizes the importance of investing in innovative therapies that contribute to the early diagnosis and treatment of people with autism. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), ASD affects approximately one in every 100 children worldwide, highlighting the need for initiatives that serve this population.
Autism Spectrum Disorder is characterized by difficulties in communication and social interaction, and may involve other issues such as repetitive behaviors, restricted interests, problems dealing with excessive sensory stimuli (loud sounds, strong smells, crowds), learning difficulties and adoption of very specific routines. In addition, it can manifest itself in three levels, which are defined by the degree of support the person needs: level 1 (mild support), level 2 (moderate support) and level 3 (high support).
The resources allocated by CNPq to the project will be used to purchase equipment, such as an advanced system for capturing brain activity and high-performance computers, in addition to financing exchanges between the researchers involved. Some of the activities will be carried out by Brazilian researchers linked to research programs in Canada.
In addition to Delisle, the project is led by ISD professors and researchers André Azevedo Dantas and Gabriel Vasiljevic. The team also includes Professor Tiago Henrique Falk, from the National Institute of Scientific Research (Canada), along with Professors Anibal Cotrina Atencia and Mariane Lima de Souza, from the Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES), and Professor Monilly Ramos Araújo Melo, from the Federal University of Campina Grande (UFCG).
Knowledge Brazil
The Knowledge Brazil Program, implemented by CNPq, is one of the ten priority actions defined in 2023 by the board of the National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development. It is part of the National Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation for the period 2023 to 2030.
About ISD
The Santos Dumont Institute (ISD) is a Social Organization linked to the Ministry of Education (MEC) and includes the Edmond and Lily Safra International Neuroscience Institute and the Anita Garibaldi Center for Health Education and Research, both in Macaíba. ISD's mission is to promote education for life, forming citizens through integrated teaching, research and extension actions, in addition to contributing to a fairer and more humane transformation of Brazilian social reality.
