The HEALthy Brain and Child Development Study (HBCD): NIH collaboration to understand the impacts of prenatal and early life experiences on brain development.

The human brain undergoes rapid development during the first years of life. Beginning in utero, a wide array of biological, social, and environmental factors can have lasting impacts on brain structure and function. To understand how prenatal and early life experiences alter neurodevelopmental trajectories and shape health outcomes, several NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices collaborated to support and launch the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study.

Annual Research Review: The contributions of the RDoC research framework on understanding the neurodevelopmental origins, progression and treatment of mental illnesses.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) proposed the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative as an alternate way to organize research of mental illnesses, by looking at dimensions of functioning rather than being tied to categorical diagnoses. This paper briefly discusses the motivation for and organization of RDoC, and then explores the NIMH portfolio and recent work to monitor the utility and progress that RDoC has afforded developmental research. To examine how RDoC has influenced the NIMH developmental research portfolio over the last decade, we employed a natural language processing algorithm to identify the number of developmental science grants classified as incorporating an RDoC approach.

Latent class subtyping of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and comorbid conditions.

Objective: Genetic studies of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) generally use discrete DSM-IV subtypes to define diagnostic status. To improve correspondence between phenotypic variance and putative susceptibility genes, multivariate classification methods such as latent class analysis (LCA) have been proposed. The aim of this study was to perform LCA in a sample of 1,010 individuals from a nationwide recruitment of unilineal nuclear families with at least one child with ADHD and another child either affected or clearly unaffected.

Dopamine transporter genotype and methylphenidate dose response in children with ADHD.

Stimulant medications, such as methylphenidate (MPH), are the most commonly used, effective treatment for ADHD. MPH acts primarily by inhibiting the dopamine transporter (DAT), a protein responsible for the reuptake of dopamine from the synapse into presynaptic terminals. We sought to evaluate the relationship between DAT1 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) variable number tandem repeats (VNTR) genotypes and dose response to MPH.

A dose-response study of OROS methylphenidate in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Objective: OROS methylphenidate HCL (MPH) is a recently developed long-acting stimulant medication used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study was conducted to examine dosage effects on ADHD symptoms and stimulant side effects and to explore potential moderating effects of ADHD subtype.

Methods: Children with ADHD combined type (ADHD-CT) or predominantly inattentive type (ADHD-PI; n = 47), ages 5 to 16 years, underwent a placebo-controlled, crossover trial using forced titration with weekly switches at 3 dosage levels.

Can stimulant rebound mimic pediatric bipolar disorder?

The authors describe the case of a 7-year-old girl diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who, following an unsuccessful trial of stimulant medication and subsequent mood symptoms, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Following a comprehensive, multidisciplinary assessment, and withdrawal of her complex medication regimen, she was rediagnosed with ADHD. She displayed a positive response to behavioral parent training and pharmacological treatment with a long-acting stimulant.