A four-year follow-up study of the effects of methylphenidate on the behavior and academic achievement of hyperactive children.

Sixty-two children were evaluated 4 years after their initial referral for symptoms of hyperactivity. Behavioral measures included parent and teacher judgments of behavior and social adjustment. Academic achievement was assessed by teachers' reports, number of failed grades, special education services, and two individually administered achievement tests.

Optimal dosages of methylphenidate for improving the learning and behavior of hyperactive children.

The effects of methylphenidate dosages were assessed in 42 hyperactive children who were tested off drug at the beginning and end of an 18-week study and 2 weeks after initiation of various dosages. Initial methylphenidate doses of 0.2 mg/kg were increased biweekly until 0.

Characteristics of children admitted to a state mental hospital.

In looking at demographic, social, psychiatric, and medical characteristics of 125 mentally disturbed children admitted to a state mental hospital in southern California in 1971 and in 1976, the authors found evidence of family instability and disposition to violent behavior to be the most notable features of the group; many of the children did not reveal evidence of thought disorder while in the institution. Children with conduct disorders represented the majority of admission diagnoses. The children's mean age at admission was 13.

Long-term use and discontinuation of methylphenidate with hyperactive children.

The long-term effects of methylphenidate on the behavior and academic functioning of hyperactive children are described. 36 children having a positive response to methylphenidate entered a three-year follow-up study in which they were closely monitored physically, behaviorally and psychometrically. During this period 13 children spontaneously discontinued medication: there were no statistically significant differences between them and the children who continued medication in terms of age, IQ or ratings at initial interview.

Effects of methylphenidate on hyperactive children's ability to sustain attention.

The purposes of this study were to investigate the attentional characteristics of hyperactive children, the relationship of subjective and objective measures of these characteristics, and the effects of methylphenidate on these measures of attention. Forty-five hyperactive children, ages 6 to 10 years, were entered into an 18-week study of the effects of methylphenidate (Ritalin) on attention. Measures included rating scales completed by teachers and parents and a vigilance task.

Problems with the use of conventional anticonvulsant drugs in mentally retarded individuals.

Special problems in the use of anticonvulsant agents in the mentally retarded are reviewed. Effects of barbiturates on mental abilities and of phenytoin on facial appearance are especially undesirable side effects of these agents in mentally retarded individuals. Careful consideration should be given to selection of anticonvulsants that minimally interfere with the long-term rehabilitation of mentally retarded persons.

Phenobarbital: effects of long-term administration on behavior and brain of artificially reared rats.

Two doses of phenobarbital were given daily for 2 weeks to infant rats fed by intragastric cannulas. The larger dose (60 milligrams per kilogram of body weight) resulted in decreased spontaneous activity and increased responses to novel stimuli. The smaller dose (15 milligrams per kilogram) resulted in increased spontaneous activity and also an increase of responses to novel stimuli.

Carbamazepine as an anticonvulsant in children.

Forty-five children with major motor or psychomotor seizure disorders were treated with carbamazepine in place of sedative anticonvulsants (phenobarbital, primidone) because of chronic behavioral difficulties. A batter of measures believed to reflect attentional and perceptual abilities was administered initially and repeated 4 to 6 months later following the drug crossover. At the conclusion of the study, 37 of the 45 children were judged to be drug "successes"; that is, general alertness and attentiveness were improved, while seizures were adequately controlled.

Phenobarbital-induced brain growth retardation in artificially reared rat pups.

Phenobarbital was administered daily to rat pups during the period of their brain growth spurt. A new technique for artificially rearing rat pups, using chronic intragastric feeding cannulas, was used to prevent drug-induced undernutrition. Rats, receiving neonatal phenobarbital, experienced a marked interruption of early brain growth, although their body weights reflected normal growth.

Minimal brain Dysfunction.

Because of the prevalence in our society of children labeled with the term minimal brain dysfunction; physicians who treat children must develop a point of view toward the syndrome and a working procedure for assisting affected children. An approach to this problem can be divided into two parts: detection of somatic disorders and comprehensive management of school problems. The detection of somatic disorders that may have produced or substantially contributed to the school problem requires conventional medical skills for recognition and treatment.

Observations on effects of a central stimulant drug (methylphenidate) in children with hyperactive behavior.

Ninety-eight hyperactive children, ages 6 to 12 years, have been treated with methylphenidate or placebo under double-blind conditions. Only one of the 48 children receiving placebo (2%) was judged to be a drug success. Seventy-nine percent of the 94 children receiving methylphenidate were judged to be drug success at the end of the 16-week trial period.