State-dependent and main effects of methylphenidate and pemoline on paired-associate learning and spelling in hyperactive children.

In a repeated-measure design, 36 children (aged 5.8–11.6 yrs) diagnosed as having attention-deficit disorder with hyperactivity participated in 3 learning (placebo, methylphenidate hydrochloride [0.3 mg/kg] and pemoline [1.9 mg/kg]) and 3 retention (placebo, methylphenidate, and pemoline) conditions. Ss learned (Week 1) and were tested for retention (Week 2) on paired-associate learning (PAL) and nonsense-word spelling lists in each condition. Results show that methylphenidate and pemoline affected clinically significant facilitation of learning and relearning performance on the spelling task. Both medications appeared to produce a similar, but less clear, enhancement of PAL. State-dependent learning (SDL) was not found on either task between stimulant and placebo states. A significant SDL interaction was found between methylphenidate and pemoline on spelling word retention. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)