Assessing medication effects in the MTA study using neuropsychological outcomes.

Full Abstract

BACKGROUND: While studies have increasingly investigated deficits in reaction time (RT) and RT variability in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), few studies have examined the effects of stimulant medication on these important neuropsychological outcome measures. METHODS: 316 children who participated in the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD (MTA) completed the Conners' Continuous Performance Test (CPT) at the 24-month assessment point. Outcome measures included standard CPT outcomes (e.g., errors of commission, mean hit reaction time (RT)) and RT indicators derived from an Ex-Gaussian distributional model (i.e., mu, sigma, and tau). RESULTS: Analyses revealed significant effects of medication across all neuropsychological outcome measures. Results on the Ex-Gaussian outcome measures revealed that stimulant medication slows RT and reduces RT variability. CONCLUSIONS: This demonstrates the importance of including analytic strategies that can accurately model the actual distributional pattern, including the positive skew. Further, the results of the study relate to several theoretical models of ADHD.

Author information

Author/s: Epstein, Jeffery N (JN); Conners, C Keith (CK); Hervey, Aaron S (AS); Tonev, Simon T (ST); Arnold, L Eugene (LE); Abikoff, Howard B (HB); Elliott, Glen (G); Greenhill, Laurence L (LL); Hechtman, Lily (L); Hoagwood, Kimberly (K); Hinshaw, Stephen P (SP); Hoza, Betsy (B); Jensen, Peter S (PS); March, John S (JS); Newcorn, Jeffrey H (JH); Pelham, William E (WE); Severe, Joanne B (JB); Swanson, James M (JM); Wells, Karen (K); Vitiello, Benedetto (B); Wigal, Timothy (T); MTA Cooperative Study Group;

Affiliation: Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA. epste002(-atsign-)mc.duke.edu

Grants: UO1 MH50440 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS) ; UO1 MH50453 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS) ; UO1 MH50454 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS) ; UO1 MH50461 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS) ; UO1 MH50467 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS) ; UO1 MH50477 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Clinical Trial; Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

Journal: Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines (J Child Psychol Psychiatry), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-May; vol 47 (issue 5) : pp 446-56

Dates: Created 2006/05/04; Completed 2006/10/03; Revised 2007/11/14;

PMID: 16671928, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

Comments and Corrections

CommentIn: J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2006 May;47(5):423-4. (PMID: 16671925)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Associated Chemicals: Central Nervous System Stimulants (0) ; Methylphenidate (113-45-1) ; Pemoline (2152-34-3) ; Amphetamine (300-62-9) ; Dextroamphetamine (51-64-9)

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