No trials reported serious adverse events .
Subgroup analysis by dose did not identify any significant differences in effect on our primary outcomes between low- , medium- or high-dose ranges .
We found that short-term use of methylpheni date might improve symptoms of hyperactivity and possibly inattention in children with ASD who are tolerant of the medication , although the low quality of evidence means that we can not be certain of the true magnitude of any effect .
There was no evidence that methylpheni date has a negative impact on the core symptoms of ASD , or that it improves social interaction , stereotypical behaviours , or overall ASD .
BACKGROUND Children with autistic spectrum disorder ( ASD ) frequently present with inattention , impulsivity and hyperactivity , which are the cardinal symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) .
The effectiveness of methylpheni date , a commonly used ADHD treatment , is therefore of interest in these children .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of methylpheni date for symptoms of ADHD ( inattention , impulsivity and hyperactivity ) and ASD ( impairments in social interaction and communication , and repetitive , restricted or stereotypical behaviours ) in children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 years with ASD .
Misinterpreting Emotional Expressions in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Evidence for a Neural Marker and Stimulant Effects
BACKGROUND In addition to cognitive impairment , there are disruptions to mood and emotion processing in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) but little is known about their neural basis . We examined ADHD disturbances in mood and emotion recognition and underlying neural systems before and after treatment with stimulant medication . METHODS Participants were 51 unmedicated ADHD adolescents and 51 matched healthy control subjects rated for depressed and anxious mood and accuracy for identifying facial expressions of basic emotion . Brain function was recorded using event-related potentials ( ERPs ) while subjects viewed these expressions . ADHD subjects were retested after 4 weeks , following treatment with methylpheni date ( MPH ) . RESULTS ADHD subjects showed a profile of emotion-related impairment : higher depression and anxiety , deficits in identifying threat-related emotional expressions in particular , and alterations in ERPs . There was a pronounced reduction in occipital activity during the early perceptual analysis of emotional expression ( within 120 msec ) , followed by an exaggeration of activity associated with structural encoding ( 120 - 220 msec ) and subsequent reduction and slowing of temporal brain activity subserving context processing ( 300 - 400 msec ) . Methylpheni date normalized neural activity and produced some improvement of emotion recognition but had no impact on negative mood . Improvements in neural activity with MPH were consistent predictors of improvement in clinical features of emotional lability and hyperactivity . CONCLUSIONS Objective behavioral and brain function measures of emotion processing may provide a valuable addition to the clinical armamentarium for assessing emotional disturbances in ADHD and the efficacy of stimulants for treating these disturbances
No trials reported serious adverse events .
Subgroup analysis by dose did not identify any significant differences in effect on our primary outcomes between low- , medium- or high-dose ranges .
We found that short-term use of methylpheni date might improve symptoms of hyperactivity and possibly inattention in children with ASD who are tolerant of the medication , although the low quality of evidence means that we can not be certain of the true magnitude of any effect .
There was no evidence that methylpheni date has a negative impact on the core symptoms of ASD , or that it improves social interaction , stereotypical behaviours , or overall ASD .
BACKGROUND Children with autistic spectrum disorder ( ASD ) frequently present with inattention , impulsivity and hyperactivity , which are the cardinal symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) .
The effectiveness of methylpheni date , a commonly used ADHD treatment , is therefore of interest in these children .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of methylpheni date for symptoms of ADHD ( inattention , impulsivity and hyperactivity ) and ASD ( impairments in social interaction and communication , and repetitive , restricted or stereotypical behaviours ) in children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 years with ASD .