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Response to stimulant drug treatment in hyperactive children: Prediction from EEG and neurological findings

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Abstract

A study of neurological examinations, EEG findings, and behavioral responses to methylphenidate treatment in 57 hyperactive boys, 5 to 10 years of age, is reported and discussed. The results indicated that subjects with minor neurological abnormalities in 4 or more categories responded with significantly more improvement (p<.01) to methylphenidate treatment than subjects without abnormalities. Subjects with abnormal EEGs had significantly more improvement (p<.001) than those with normal EEGs. A significant correlation was found between the degree of evidence of brain dysfunction (obtained from EEG and neurological examinations) and the probability of response to methylphenidate treatment. It is suggested that both the neurological and the EEG examinations play a significant role in the assessment of hyperactive children.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Andrew Norman Research Center, Gateways Hospital Hyperkinetic Children's Clinic, 1891 Effie Street, 90026, Los Angeles, California

    James H. Satterfield, Dennis P. Cantwell, Ronald E. Saul, Leonard I. Lesser & Robert L. Podosin

Authors
  1. James H. Satterfield
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  2. Dennis P. Cantwell
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  3. Ronald E. Saul
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  4. Leonard I. Lesser
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  5. Robert L. Podosin
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Additional information

This study was supported in part by NIMH Grant MH17039, a grant from the Andrew Norman Foundation, a grant from the Julius R. Wolf Foundation, and a grant from CIBA Pharmaceutical Company.

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Satterfield, J.H., Cantwell, D.P., Saul, R.E. et al. Response to stimulant drug treatment in hyperactive children: Prediction from EEG and neurological findings. J Autism Dev Disord 3, 36–48 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01537553

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01537553

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