Effects of methylphenidate on cooperative responding in children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder.

The effects of methylphenidate on cooperative responding in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder were examined. During 1 of 2 alternating periods of a laboratory task, the child's button presses added points to a counter marked Your Earnings. During the 2nd period, cooperative and independent response options were available. Cooperative responses added points simultaneously to a counter marked Your Earnings and Other's Earnings. Concurrently available independent responses added points only to the counter marked Your Earnings. Time allocated to the cooperative response option was significantly decreased following acute administration of the 0.3 mg/kg and the 0.6 mg/kg methylphenidate doses as compared with placebo. Implications for understanding the behavioral mechanism of methylphenidate effects on social behavior are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Association of parental psychopathology to the comorbid disorders of boys with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder.

This study examined whether particular forms of parental psychopathology are related to similar forms of comorbid psychopathology in offspring with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Parental disorders were assessed using maternal interviews, and child disorders were assessed using multiple-informant interviews for 111 clinic-referred boys (aged 7–12) with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed., rev.: American Psychiatric Association, 1987) ADHD. Associations between parental and child internalizing disorders and between parental and child externalizing disorders were found, but associations across categories of disorder (i.e., internalizing and externalizing) were not. Similar relationships were observed in 66 clinic-referred boys without ADHD. These findings support specific modes of familial transmission, in contrast to theories that comorbidity simply reflects more severe psychopathology in children with ADHD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Separate and combined effects of methylphenidate and behavior modification on boys with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder in the classroom

This study evaluated the separate and combined effects of behavior modification and 2 doses of methylphenidate (MPH; 0.3 and 0.6 mg/kg) compared with baseline (no behavior modification and a placebo) on the classroom behavior and academic performance of 31 ADHD (attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder) boys attending a summer treatment program. Results revealed significant effects of both interventions, with the mean effect size of medication being more than twice as great as that of behavior modification. Relatively small incremental value was gained by the higher dose of medication or the addition of behavior modification, compared with the effects of the low dose of MPH. In contrast, the addition of either dose of MPH resulted in improvement beyond the effects of behavior modification alone. These group effects reflected those obtained in analyses of individual differences. Furthermore, comparisons of individual responsiveness showed that boys who responded to one treatment also responded to the other.     

Father involvement and self-report parenting of children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder.

This study examined the moderating effects of 4 variables on the relation between father involvement (FI) and self-reported parenting practices of 71 couples who have children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The variables were parents' love for their spouses, similarity in child-rearing views, traditional role identification, and paternal ADHD symptoms. These variables interacted with FI in predicting parenting practices. FI was associated with fathers' use of more effective discipline when fathers had ADHD symptoms and reported more love for their wives but was associated with fathers' use of less effective discipline when fathers reported having ADHD symptoms, when they reported less love for their wives, and when they identified highly with traditional roles. For mothers, FI was associated with less effective discipline practices when couples' child rearing views were dissimilar. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attention processes in children with shunted hydrocephalus versus attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder.

Children with congenital hydrocephalus, children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, and normal controls were evaluated with measures of focused attention (Visual Orienting and Detection Task), sustained attention (continuous performance test), and attention shifting (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test). Components from these tasks have been linked to attention systems mediated by anterior or posterior brain networks. Children with congenital hydrocephalus showed an inability to focus and shift attention, which specifically implicated impairment of the disengage and move components of the posterior brain attention system. Children with attention deficit- hyperactivity disorder displayed the expected performance patterns on measures of focused attention once their difficulties with sustained attention were taken into account. However, they showed problems with shifting and sustaining attention, which are commonly associated with the anterior brain attention system. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Executive functioning and olfactory identification in young adults with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder.

Young adults with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; N?=?105) were compared with a control group (N?=?64) on 14 measures of executive function and olfactory identification using a 2 (group) × 2 (sex) design. The ADHD group performed significantly worse on 11 measures. No Group × Sex interaction was found on any measures. No differences were found in the ADHD group as a function of ADHD subtype or comorbid oppositional defiant disorder. Comorbid depression influenced the results of only 1 test (Digit Symbol). After IQ was controlled for, some group differences in verbal working memory, attention, and odor identification were no longer significant, whereas those in inhibition, interference control, nonverbal working memory, and other facets of attention remained so. Executive function deficits found in childhood ADHD exist in young adults with ADHD and are largely not influenced by comorbidity but may be partly a function of low intelligence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of observational methods in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): Implications for diagnosis.

Reviewed 39 empirical studies in which direct observational methods were used to assess children in whom ADHD had been diagnosed. Classroom studies distinguished ADHD children from comparison groups better than laboratory studies. Behaviors that most consistently distinguished ADHD children from comparison groups included measures of attention, activity, and vocalization. Ways are suggested to improve the efficiency and reliability of observational research. Recommendations are made regarding the importance of classroom observations in the evaluation of ADHD children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multiple sources of attentional dysfunction in adults with Tourette's syndrome: Comparison with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder.

Seventeen adult Tourette's syndrome (TS) patients, 17 adult attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) patients, and 17 adult controls completed a battery of attentional tests and self-report measures of ADHD and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms. ADHD but not TS participants performed significantly worse than controls on tests of mental flexibility and psychomotor speed. Both the ADHD and TS groups, however, had significantly greater test performance variability as well as several outliers on most of the measures. Among TS patients, those with comorbid ADHD performed significantly worse than TS patients without ADHD on tests of mental flexibility and psychomotor speed, suggesting ADHD-related attentional impairment in TS. In addition, greater amounts of OCD symptomatology were associated with poorer test performance among TS patients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comprehension of televised stories in boys with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and nonreferred boys.

Two studies compared comprehension of televised stories by 7- to 12-year-old boys with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and nonreferred comparison boys. Boys watched one show with toys present and one with toys absent. Visual attention was continuously recorded, and recall was tested after each show. Across studies, visual attention was high with toys absent but decreased sharply with toys present for boys with ADHD. Groups showed similar levels of cued recall of discrete units of information regardless of differences in attention. When recall tasks and television story structure required knowledge of relations among events, the reduced attention of boys with ADHD interfered with recall. Although visual attention of comparison boys also decreased to some extent with toys present, there was no such decrement in recall. Implications of the difficulties children with ADHD have in integrated story comprehension are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Discriminative and participant-rated effects of methylphenidate in children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Despite the demonstrated beneficial effects of methylphenidate and d-amphetamine for the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the discriminative and subjective effects of these compounds in children are not well understood. This study was designed to characterize such effects in children diagnosed with ADHD. In a series of 3 experiments, 17 children were examined to determine whether methylphenidate (n = 12) and d-amphetamine (n = 5) could be reliably discriminated at doses typically used in clinical practice. Under some conditions (e.g., when they were instructed to attend to the drug effects or when a wide range of doses was used), children discriminated methylphenidate (5.0-30.0 mg) from placebo. Children tested under a range of doses of d-amphetamine (2.5-20.0 mg) were unable to discriminate this drug from placebo reliably. Neither methylphenidate nor d-amphetamine produced reliable participant-rated effects.     

Genetic heterogeneity in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): Gender, psychiatric comorbidity, and maternal ADHD.

The authors examined the siblings of 140 attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 120 control probands and classified families as antisocial if the proband had conduct disorder or a parent had antisocial personality. Partial support was found for the hypothesis that the ADHD gender effect would be limited to antisocial families. Boys had an increased risk for ADHD compared with girls, but only among siblings from antisocial families. The effect size for predicting ADHD in siblings of probands was greater for maternal compared with paternal ADHD, but only for families exhibiting antisocial disorders. Strong support was found for the hypothesis that, compared with siblings from nonantisocial families, those from antisocial families would have more psychopathology (ADHD, depression, substance use, and conduct disorders). The presence of antisocial disorders signals a distinct subtype of ADHD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward defining a neuropsychology of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder: Performance of children and adolescents from a large clinically referred sample.

Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is known to have neuropsychological consequences that are evident from psychological tests and measures of school failure. However, most available data are based on studies of preadolescent children. For a developmental perspective, older (≥15 years) and younger (     

Monetary incentives promote smoking abstinence in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) smoke at rates significantly higher than the general population and have more difficulty quitting than nondiagnosed individuals. Currently, there are no evidence-based approaches for reducing smoking specifically in individuals with ADHD. Adult regular smokers with or without ADHD participated in a study of extended smoking withdrawal where monetary incentives were used to promote abstinence. Participants were paid according to an escalating schedule for maintaining abstinence measured as self-report of no smoking and an expired air carbon monoxide (CO) level of ≤4 parts per million. Sixty-four percent (14/22) of smokers with ADHD and 50% (11/22) of smokers without ADHD maintained complete abstinence for the 2-week duration of the study. Twenty-two percent (5/22) and 9% (2/22) of smokers with ADHD and without ADHD, respectively, maintained continued abstinence for up to 10 days following the removal of the contingencies. Though abstinence rates were higher for the smokers with ADHD, the group differences were not statistically significant. Results suggest that monetary incentives may be a useful approach for promoting abstinence in adult smokers with ADHD, perhaps owing to altered reinforcement processes in these individuals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Inhibition in boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as indexed by heart rate change.

A stop signal paradigm in combination with heart rate measures were used to test the hypothesis of deficient inhibitory processing in boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The authors measured the inhibitory process initiated by a stop signal by observing its success, its latency using a horse race model, and its impact on the timing of the heartbeat. Boys with ADHD performed well and showed appropriate psychophysiological changes. Inhibition latencies were longer in the boys with ADHD, particularly those with concurrent oppositional defiant disorder, than in the controls. Cardiac evidence suggested that greater preparation was associated with inhibition failures in controls, but not in the boys with ADHD. Boys with ADHD seem capable of attending carefully to control responses, but this control appears less effective and arguably is more effortful than in other boys. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The development of ADHD boys: A 12-year follow-up.

12 yrs after initial assessment, 33 male attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Ss (aged 14.4–24.9 yrs) were compared with 52 normal controls. Controls (selected at follow-up) were sex-, SES-, language-, and age-matched. According to childhood scores from the IOWA Conners Teacher Rating Scale, 24 ADHD Ss were inattentive/overactive (IO) and 9 were aggressive plus inattentive/overactive (A–IO). Ss and parents were interviewed and Ss completed a battery of tests. Core deficits of the disorder persisted in more than half of the ADHD group. IO Ss did not differ significantly from the controls in psychiatric functioning, except for their persistent ADHD. A–IO Ss had received the most individual and residential treatment for their behavior problems. ADHD Ss experienced significantly more problems in high school and displayed significantly poorer spelling, arithmetic, and reading comprehension skills than did controls. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-focused attention and negative affect: A meta-analysis.

This meta-analysis synthesized 226 effect sizes reflecting the relation between self-focused attention and negative affect (depression, anxiety, negative mood). The results demonstrate the multifaceted nature of self-focused attention and elucidate major controversies in the field. Overall, self-focus was associated with negative affect. Several moderators qualified this relationship. Self-focus and negative affect were more strongly related in clinical and female-dominated samples. Rumination yielded stronger effect sizes than nonruminative self-focus. Self-focus on positive self-aspects and following a positive event were related to lower negative affect. Most important, an interaction between foci of self-attention and form of negative affect was found: Private self-focus was more strongly associated with depression and generalized anxiety, whereas public self-focus was more strongly associated with social anxiety. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effectiveness of a computer-facilitated interactive social skills training program for boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at significant risk for a variety of comorbid conditions, including social skills deficits. Although interventions addressing various aspects of social difficulties with these children have been developed, few researchers have integrated new technology with existing social skills intervention literature and investigated such approaches empirically. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a computer-mediated social skills training program for children diagnosed with ADHD. The program presented specific social skill sequences to four children with ADHD in a variety of computer-facilitated formats with video peer modeling, social problem-solving, and reinforcement components. Participants' abilities to demonstrate specific social problem-solving skills effectively in a behavioral analogue environment were evaluated. The study used a multiple-probe variation of the multiple-baseline design (MBD) across participants. All participants demonstrated improvements in ability to demonstrate effective social problem-solving skills in analogue role-play assessments with live peers. Follow-up data at 3 and 6 week intervals indicated that participants maintained their gains over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hyperkinetic syndrome (attention deficit-/hyperactivity disorder) in adulthood

The clinical picture of adult hyperkinetic syndrome (HKS) or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder is nearly unknown in Germany. It can be estimated, that approximately one third of affected children also show symptoms as adults. In the combined type of the syndrome symptoms of inattention as well as of hyperactivity and impulsivity are present, a predominantly inattentive or hyperactive-impulsive type is possible. Retrospective diagnosis of HKS in childhood can be difficult. Disorganization, emotional disturbances and stress intolerance are common in adults with HKS as well as residual symptoms of learning disorders like dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia. In differential diagnosis especially affective, anxiety and antisocial personality disorders have to be considered, for which on the other side a frequent comorbidity with HKS is known. There is strong evidence for genetic transmission. Neurobiological findings revealed dysregulation of neurotransmitters. For treatment stimulants as pemoline and methamphetamin are effective, in addition tricyclic antidepressants or beta blockers; positive effects are probable for moclobemide, bupropion, fluoxetine and venlafaxine.