Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Combined Type: Better Executive Function Performance With Longer-Term Psychostimulant Medication

• Published in: Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry 2003-10, Vol.37 (5), p.570-576
• Main Authors: Vance, Alasdair L. A., Maruff, Paul, Barnett, Rebecca
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: ADHD; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - complications; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - diagnosis; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - drug therapy; Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Australia; Biological and medical sciences; Central Nervous System Stimulants - therapeutic use; Child; Children; Cognition Disorders - complications; Cognition Disorders - diagnosis; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dextroamphetamine - therapeutic use; Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Executive function; Female; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Methylphenidate - therapeutic use; Neuropharmacology; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Psychoanaleptics: cns stimulant, antidepressant agent, nootropic agent, mood stabilizer..., (alzheimer disease); Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopharmacology; psychostimulant medication; Severity of Illness Index; Stimulants; Time Factors; Wechsler Scales
• ISSN: 0004-8674; 1440-1614
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1440-1614.2003.01238.x

Objective: Executive function deficits are evident in primary school-age children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, combined type (ADHD-CT) and are possibly improved by longer-term psychostimulant medication. In contrast, a substantial subgroup of children with ADHD-CT become symptomatic despite longer-term psychostimulant medication use. We investigated the hypothesis that better executive function performance is associated with the use of longer-term psychostimulant medication in primary school-age children with ADHD-CT who are again symptomatic of ADHD-CT, despite its use. Method: A cross-sectional study of 40 primary school-age psychostimulant medicationnaïve children with ADHD-CT, 26 with symptomatic ADHD-CT and treated with psychostimulant medication, and 26 control children without ADHD-CT was conducted. Nonverbal tasks of executive function were compared across the three groups. Results: The longer-term psychostimulant medication-treated group had a better executive function performance, despite being symptomatic for ADHD-CT, than the psychostimulant medication-naïve group. Conclusion: Improved executive function may be a marker of psychostimulant medication effect in children with ADHD-CT treated in the longer term. This improvement may not correlate with that of the ADHD-CT symptoms. Longitudinal studies are required.