| Abstract | BACKGROUND: Methylphenidate has been shown elsewhere to improve hyperactivity in about half of treated children who have pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) and significant hyperactive-inattentive symptoms. We present secondary analyses to better define the scope of effects of methylphenidate on symptoms that define attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), as well as the core autistic symptom domain of repetitive behavior. METHODS: Sixty-six children (mean age 7.5 y) with autistic disorder, Asperger's disorder, and PDD not otherwise specified, were randomized to varying sequences of placebo and three different doses of methylphenidate during a 4-week blinded, crossover study. Methylphenidate doses used approximated .125, .25, and .5 mg/kg per dose, twice daily, with an additional half-dose in the late afternoon. Outcome measures included the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham Questionnaire revised for DSM-IV (ADHD and ODD scales) and the Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scales for PDD. RESULTS: Methylphenidate was associated with significant improvement that was most evident at the .25- and .5-mg/kg doses. Hyperactivity and impulsivity improved more than inattention. There were not significant effects on ODD or stereotyped and repetitive behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Convergent evidence from different assessments and raters confirms methylphenidate's efficacy in relieving ADHD symptoms in some children with PDD. Optimal dose analyses suggested significant interindividual variability in dose response. |
| Authors | David J Posey, Michael G Aman, James T McCracken, Lawrence Scahill, Elaine Tierney, L Eugene Arnold, Benedetto Vitiello, Shirley Z Chuang, Mark Davies, Yaser Ramadan, Andrea N Witwer, Naomi B Swiezy, Pegeen Cronin, Bhavik Shah, Deirdre H Carroll, Christopher Young, Courtney Wheeler, Christopher J McDougle
(Affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. dposey at iupui.edu)
|
| Journal | Biological psychiatry
(Biol Psychiatry)
Vol. 61
Issue 4
Pg. 538-44
(Feb 15 2007)
ISSN: 0006-3223 United States |
| PMID | 17276750
(Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Comparative Study, Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural)
|
| Chemical References |
- Central Nervous System Stimulants
- Methylphenidate
|
| Topics |
- Adolescent
- Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity
(drug therapy, etiology)
- Central Nervous System Stimulants
(therapeutic use)
- Child
- Child Development Disorders, Pervasive
(complications)
- Child, Preschool
- Cross-Over Studies
- Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
- Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
- Double-Blind Method
- Female
- Humans
- Male
- Methylphenidate
(therapeutic use)
- Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
- Questionnaires
|
