Use of self-report outcome measures in an acute inpatient CAMHS setting.

Outcome measures are increasingly being used to index change in service users' presentation. However, within Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), these raise questions around what should be measured, who should be asked to rate outcome and what constitutes progress. This study sought to audit the value of two self-report measures within the inpatient adolescent setting.

Frontal cerebral vulnerability and executive deficits from raised intracranial pressure in child traumatic brain injury.

In severe pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI), a common focus of treatment is raised intracranial pressure (ICP). The aim of this investigation was to test whether raised ICP is associated with later prefrontal executive deficits and regional brain tissue loss, consistent with an anterior vascular compartment syndrome. Thirty-three participants were assigned to one of two severe TBI groups based on whether or not they had increased ICP complicating their critical illness.

The effects of methylphenidate on decision making in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Background: Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) frequently display poor judgment and risk taking in their everyday behavior, but there are little empirical data on decision-making cognition in this disorder. The objectives of the study were to assess the effects of stimulant medication on decision making in ADHD and compare performance on the Cambridge Gamble Task between boys with and without ADHD.

Methods: Twenty-one boys (aged 7-13) diagnosed with ADHD underwent a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of methylphenidate (.

Heterogeneity in the patterns of neural abnormality in autistic spectrum disorders: evidence from ERP and MRI.

Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a heterogeneous group of social communication problems. Research into the neural basis of ASD has revealed abnormalities in a number of different regions of the brain. However, the literature is highly inconsistent.

A Characterisation of Tier 2 Services in Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

UK government initiatives have proposed changes in the provision of child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) within the NHS. In response to this, tier 2 services have been created to provide early assessment and intervention and improved access. This study investigated whether these services met the aims compared to traditional generic tier 3 services, using data from a national mapping exercise.

Impulsivity, reward sensitivity, and decision-making in subarachnoid hemorrhage survivors.

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) survivors often report psychosocial and emotional changes, including a diminished capacity for decision making. However, systematic investigations into the nature of the changes have been limited to those patients surviving SAH secondary to aneurysms of the anterior communicating artery. This study aimed to explore the nature of decision making in survivors of SAH secondary to aneurysms of the middle cerebral or posterior communicating artery using a series of computerized tasks.

Cognitive reserve as a resilience factor against depression after moderate/severe head injury.

Depression is one of the most frequently reported and distressing residual complaints in survivors of head injury. Studies investigating the pattern of neuropathology associated with depression post head injury have found little consistency. One explanation for this is that cognitive reserve "protects" against depression either through more efficient processing or more effective compensation.

Head circumference and brain and hippocampal volume after severe traumatic brain injury in childhood.

Vulnerability of the hippocampus to traumatic brain injury (TBI) in adults is related to severity of injury and white matter atrophy. The objectives of this study were to determine features of anthropometry and cerebral morphometry late after TBI in childhood and to assess whether hippocampal volume is related to severity of initial ictus and changes in white matter at follow-up. Thirty-three patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging 4.

Cognitive outcome in traumatic brain injury survivors.

Purpose Of Review: This review discusses recent studies investigating the cognitive and psychiatric outcome of posttraumatic brain injury. In addition, it aims to highlight key areas for future research.

Recent Findings: Detailed cognitive assessments have revealed particular deficits in processing speed in the visual domain and the detrimental impact of interference on attentional performance.

Bilateral brain abnormalities associated with dominantly inherited verbal and orofacial dyspraxia.

The KE family is a large three-generational pedigree in which half of the members suffer from a verbal and orofacial dyspraxia in association with a point mutation in the FOXP2 gene. This report extends previous voxel-based morphometric analyses of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans (Watkins et al. [2002] Brain 125:465-478) using a bilateral conjunction analysis.