A double-blind comparison of escitalopram and paroxetine in the long-term treatment of generalized anxiety disorder.

Background: This study compared the efficacy and tolerability of escitalopram, a newer SSRI, with paroxetine in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

Methods: Patients with DSM-IV-defined GAD were randomized to receive 24 weeks of double-blind flexible-dose treatment with either escitalopram (10-20 mg/day) or paroxetine (20-50 mg/day), followed by a 2-week, double-blind, down-titration period. Mean change from baseline to endpoint (LOCF) in Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) scores was the primary efficacy variable.

A double-blind comparison of escitalopram and venlafaxine extended release in the treatment of major depressive disorder.

Background: Escitalopram is the most selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) antidepressant available. Venlafaxine is a non-selective SRI that also inhibits noradrenergic re-uptake. This study compared escitalopram and venlafaxine extended release (XR) in depressed outpatients at the highest doses recommended in the United States.

Predictors of susceptibility to smoking and ever smoking: a longitudinal study in a triethnic sample of adolescents.

This report describes a longitudinal study of the natural course of smoking initiation in a school-based, ethnically diverse (42% White, 37% African American, 20% Hispanic) sample of adolescents in grades 5, 8, and 12 who were followed prospectively for 1 year. A cohort of 659 students was identified who were never smokers at baseline and who completed questionnaires both at baseline and at 1-year follow-up. From this cohort, predictor variables were used to identify ethnic-specific risk factors for (a) "susceptibility to smoking" among the 509 students who were nonsusceptible, never smokers at baseline and (b) "ever smoking" among all 659 students who were never smokers at baseline (both susceptible and nonsusceptible).

Working memory after traumatic brain injury in children.

To investigate the effects of traumatic brain injury on working memory in children, we administered semantic (letter identity) and phonological (letter rhyme) N-back tasks to children who were on average 5 years post-mild (n = 54) or -severe (n = 26) traumatic brain injury and 44 typically developing children who were comparable in age. The correct detection of targets and false alarms were measured for each task. Memory load (which varied from 0 to 3 letters back) and age significantly affected the detection of targets and false alarms in both tasks.