There were mixed findings with regard to the use of CPTs to assess and manage medication , with contrasting evidence on their ability to support clinical decision-making .
There was a strong evidence base for the use of objective measures of activity to aid ADHD/non-ADHD group differentiation , which appears sensitive to medication effects and would also benefit from further research on their clinical utility .
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) is typically diagnosed using clinical observation and subjective informant reports .
Once children commence ADHD medication , robust monitoring is required to detect partial or non-responses .
The extent to which neuropsychological continuous performance tests ( CPTs ) and objective measures of activity can clinical ly aid the assessment and titration process in ADHD is not fully understood .
This review describes the current evidence base for the use of CPTs and objective ly measured activity to support the diagnostic procedure and medication management for children with ADHD .
Four data bases ( PsycINFO , Medline , Allied and Complementary Medicine ( AMED ) , and PsycARTICLES ) were systematic ally search ed to underst and the current evidence base for ( 1 ) the use of CPTs to aid clinical assessment of ADHD ; ( 2 ) the use of CPTs to aid medication management ; and ( 3 ) the clinical utility of objective measures of activity in ADHD .
Clinical gains from including both dextroamphetamine and methylphenidate in stimulant trials.
OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate clinical gains from including both dextroamphetamine and methylpheni date in stimulant trials . METHOD Thirty-six medication-naïve children ages 9 - 14 years diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) were enrolled for 6 weeks in a crossover trial , with 2 weeks of methylpheni date , dextroamphetamine , and placebo , in a r and omly assigned , counterbalanced sequence . Outcome measures constituted a computer-based continuous performance test combined with a motion tracking system ( Qb Test ) and an ADHD question naire rated by parents and teachers . RESULTS Group analyses found significant treatment effects of similar size for the two stimulants on both outcome measures . Single-subject analyses revealed that each stimulant produced a favourable response in 26 children ; however , an individual child frequently responded qualitatively or quantitatively differently to the two stimulants . By including both stimulants in the trial , the number of favorable responders increased from 26 ( 72 % ) to 33 ( 92 % ) . In children with favorable responses of unequal strength to the two stimulants , a shift from inferior drug to best drug was associated with a 64 % mean increase in the overall response strength score , as measured by the ADHD question naire . CONCLUSIONS The likelihood of a favorable response and optimal response strength is increased by including both stimulants in the stimulant trial . The study was first registered in clinical trials 28 September 2010 . Clinical Trials.gov Identifier : NCT01220440
There were mixed findings with regard to the use of CPTs to assess and manage medication , with contrasting evidence on their ability to support clinical decision-making .
There was a strong evidence base for the use of objective measures of activity to aid ADHD/non-ADHD group differentiation , which appears sensitive to medication effects and would also benefit from further research on their clinical utility .
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) is typically diagnosed using clinical observation and subjective informant reports .
Once children commence ADHD medication , robust monitoring is required to detect partial or non-responses .
The extent to which neuropsychological continuous performance tests ( CPTs ) and objective measures of activity can clinical ly aid the assessment and titration process in ADHD is not fully understood .
This review describes the current evidence base for the use of CPTs and objective ly measured activity to support the diagnostic procedure and medication management for children with ADHD .
Four data bases ( PsycINFO , Medline , Allied and Complementary Medicine ( AMED ) , and PsycARTICLES ) were systematic ally search ed to underst and the current evidence base for ( 1 ) the use of CPTs to aid clinical assessment of ADHD ; ( 2 ) the use of CPTs to aid medication management ; and ( 3 ) the clinical utility of objective measures of activity in ADHD .