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Psychoactive drugs in the immature organism

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Summary

The findings reported in this review present a number of avenues of approach to the study of the effects of drugs on children. Many investigators have begun to classify the behavior of disturbed children on a number of sophisticated, but operationally simple procedures which allow some dissection of the behavior deficits. This type of approach can lead to a better understanding not only of the pathological condition but also to a better understanding of the way in which a drug works.

An understanding of the manner in which amphetamines produce their therapeutic effect in the hyperkinetic child cannot be forthcoming from studies that only elaborate the pathological behavior. More attention must be paid to the function of the central and autonomic nervous systems and how these systems relate to the behavior of the child. Since many of the drugs that are useful in treating behavior problems in children have marked effects upon catecholamine levels in the brain, studies comparing urine catecholamine levels in various types of behavior disordered children after the administration of sympathomimetic amines might give specific direction to further research.

Finally, I think that some attention should be directed toward animal models for understanding some of the behavior disorders. Studies such as those of Young (1963, 1964 and 1966), with some modification, could be directed toward giving us a more complete grasp of the aberrant behavior seen in the human child. Animal models can complement studies in humans and they have the further advantage of allowing a more complete biochemical and neuropharmacological study of behavior.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, 02118, Boston, Mass.

    Conan Kornetsky

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  1. Conan Kornetsky
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Thanks are due to Mrs. Marcia Ford of the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine of Harvard University for her help in facilitating and conducting a Medlars literature search.

Research Scientist Awardee MH 1759 of the National Institute of Mental Health. The preparation of this review was supported in part by Grant MH 12568 from the National Institute of Mental Health.

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Kornetsky, C. Psychoactive drugs in the immature organism. Psychopharmacologia 17, 105–136 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00402703

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