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Biomedical subjects

C Gillberg

Publications and source records attributed to C Gillberg.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Long-term stimulant treatment of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: We wanted to study the effects of amphetamine on symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) over a longer period than has been reported in previous studies of central stimulants in this condition. METHODS: Sixty-two children, aged 6 to 11 years, meeting DSM-III-R symptom criteria for ADHD participated in a parallel-group design, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of amphetamine treatment. Treatment was not restricted to children with "pure" ADHD, ie, some had comorbid diagnoses. In the amphetamine group, children received active treatment for 15 months. RESULTS: Amphetamine was clearly superior to placebo in reducing inattention, hyperactivity, and other disruptive behavior problems and tended to lead to improved results on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Revised. Treatment failure rate was considerably lower and time to treatment failure was longer in the amphetamine group. Adverse effects were few and relatively mild. CONCLUSION: The results of this long-term, placebo-controlled study of the central stimulant amphetamine in the treatment of ADHD indicate that there are remaining positive effects of the drug 15 months after starting treatment.

Abdominal Pain↗
PubMed1997

Depressive symptoms in Swedish adolescents: normative data using the Birleson Depression Self-Rating Scale (DSRS).

This study examined the prevalence of self-reported depressive symptoms in a Swedish urban school sample (n = 524) aged 13-18 years using the Birleson Depression Self-Rating Scale (DSRS). Normative data are presented. The DSRS had high internal consistency. Factor analysis showed one single factor comprising almost exactly the same items that had been found to best reflect depressive phenomena in a previous clinical study. Items particularly endorsed by high scoring adolescents (above the 95th percentile) indicated a symptom constellation with 'endogenous' features. The frequencies of reported suicidal ideation and suicide attempts were 4% and 5%, respectively. Female gender and suicide attempt, but not age were associated with higher scores on the DSRS. Our results-indicate that, despite its shortcomings, the DSRS is a reliable and valid measure of depression in adolescence.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Voice, speech and language characteristics of children with Prader-Willi syndrome.

Eleven individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), aged between 4 and 25 years, were compared with II non-PWS children of the same sex, age, body mass index and IQ level. Voice, speech and language skills were generally impaired in subjects with PWS. Oral motor function, pitch level and resonance were specifically disordered and clearly differentiated the two groups from each other. Certain biological perinatal factors separated subjects with PWS from other obese children and adolescents, but did not differentiate within the group with PWS and could not account for the speech/language problems. Underlying cerebral dysfunction, combined with a characteristic anatomy of the mouth and larynx in PWS, contributes to altered voice, speech and language function.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Practitioner review: physical investigations in mental retardation.

Mental retardation occurs in more than 1% of the child population. A cause can be found in almost 80% of individuals with severe mental retardation, but in fewer than 40% of those with mild mental retardation. A work-up is indicated in all cases of mental retardation. A medical doctor with specific training in the field is needed to make "decision-tree diagnosis" and to suggest the most appropriate physical investigations in each case. This paper provides practical guidelines for diagnosis and work-up both in severe and mild mental retardation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Asperger syndrome, autism and attention disorders: a comparative study of the cognitive profiles of 120 children.

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) was applied (in a Swedish version) in 120 children with Asperger syndrome, autistic disorder, and attention disorders. Using stepwise logistic regression analysis, the WISC's discriminating ability was investigated. The overall rate of correct diagnostic classification was 63%. Further, WISC profiles were analysed within each group. The group with autistic disorder was characterised by a peak on Block Design. The Asperger syndrome group had good verbal ability and troughs on Object Assembly and Coding. The group with attention disorders had troughs on Coding and Arithmetic. The results suggest that Kaufman's Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Organisation and Freedom from Distractibility factors rather than verbal IQ and performance IQ account for the variance on the WISC. Furthermore, the Asperger syndrome and autistic disorder groups differed in respect of "fluid" and "crystallised" cognitive ability.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Selective mutism: a population-based study: a research note.

Seven-year-olds to 15-year-olds in 2 school districts of Göteborg, Sweden, were screened for selective mutism by their teachers and follow-up was achieved for a full school year. Three girls and 2 boys met DSM-IV criteria for selective mutism and a further 25 had a combination of shyness and reticence that did not amount to clinical disorder. The rate of typical selective mutism was 18 in 10,000 children. Shyness/reticence occurred in 89 in 10,000 children. Selective mutism was more common than suggested by earlier studies. Teachers of school age children need to be better informed about its existence.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Possible effects of tetrahydrobiopterin treatment in six children with autism--clinical and positron emission tomography data: a pilot study.

Six children, between 3 and 5 years of age, having infantile autism according to DSM-III-R, were treated for 3 months with 6R-L-erythro-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobiopterin (R-BH4), a cofactor for tyrosine hydroxylases in the biosynthetic pathway of catecholamines and serotonin. A criterion for inclusion in the study was a relatively low level of R-BH4 in the cerebrospinal fluid. For clinical evaluation, the Parental Satisfaction Survey (PASS) was used every fourth week and the Griffiths Developmental Scales were used before starting and 3 months after completing the treatment. During the treatment period, all parents reported improvements in the child's social functioning-mainly eye contact and desire to interact-and in the number of words or sounds which the child used. Small positive changes were noted on the Griffiths Developmental Scales between the two testing occasions. R-BH4 levels in CSF increased significantly after treatment. The positron emission tomography (PET) study showed that the high value of dopamine D2 receptor binding in the caudate and putamen decreased by about 10% towards the normal level after treatment with R-BH4. The observations in this open study indicate that the drug might be useful for a subgroup of children with autism, but there is a need for a larger double-blind study with a longer treatment period.

Antioxidants↗
PubMed1997

Attention deficits and autistic spectrum problems in children exposed to alcohol during gestation: a follow-up study.

Children born to mothers who had abused alcohol throughout pregnancy had severe behavioural and intellectual problems which remained at age 11 to 14 years. Of 24 children examined, 10 had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with or without developmental coordination disorder, two had Asperger syndrome, and one had an autistic-like condition not meeting the criteria for Asperger syndrome. Six of these 24 attended special schools for the mentally retarded and a further 11 were given special education, leaving only seven attending regular schools without any type of support. The children had difficulties in mathematics, logical conclusions, visual perception, spatial relations, short-term memory, and attention. Sixteen children lived in foster homes. There was a clear correlation between the occurrence and severity of the neuropsychiatric disorder and the degree of alcohol exposure in utero.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Alexithymia in anorexia nervosa: a controlled study using the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale.

The 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) was completed at the age of 22 years by individuals who had previously suffered from anorexia nervosa (AN), and also by members of a comparison group. The AN and comparison groups had been recruited from community samples. Overall, the TAS scores did not clearly discriminate between the two groups. However, the AN group was significantly more often represented among subjects with the highest TAS scores. A subgroup with empathy disorder tended to have particularly high scores. It is concluded that alexithymia, as defined using the TAS-20, is found only in a subgroup of individuals with AN, and possibly more often in those who are also clinically diagnosed as suffering from empathy disorder. The TAS-20 is not suitable for screening of AN in the general population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

'Theory of mind' in the brain. Evidence from a PET scan study of Asperger syndrome.

The ability to attribute mental states to others ('theory of mind') pervades normal social interaction and is impaired in autistic individuals. In a previous positron emission tomography scan study of normal volunteers, performing a 'theory of mind' task was associated with activity in left medial prefrontal cortex. We used the same paradigm in five patients with Asperger syndrome, a mild variant of autism with normal intellectual functioning. No task-related activity was found in this region, but normal activity was observed in immediately adjacent areas. This result suggests that a highly circumscribed region of left medial prefrontal cortex is a crucial component of the brain system that underlies the normal understanding of other minds.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents with mental retardation and active epilepsy.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence and types of psychiatric disorders in a representative sample of school-age children with the combination of mental retardation (MR) and active epilepsy. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Ninety-eight children were identified with MR and active epilepsy in a population-based study from Göteborg, Sweden, which has a general population at risk of 48873 children. They were born between 1975 and 1986 and were 8 to 16 years old at the time of psychiatric examination. Five children had died, 3 had parents who declined participation, and 90 were clinically examined. RESULTS: Fifty-three children (59%) had at least 1 psychiatric diagnosis, and the conditions in 30 (33%) could not be classified because of profound severe MR. Twenty-four children (27%) had autistic disorder, and another 10 (11%) had an autisticlike condition. The combination of MR, active epilepsy, and autism or an autisticlike condition occurred at a rate of 0.07% in the general population. The most common seizure types in the group with autism or an autisiclike condition were complex partial, atypical absence, myoclonic, and tonic-clonic. CONCLUSIONS: Children with MR and active epilepsy suffered from a psychiatric disorder in a majority of those cases in which the children had enough skills and mobility to exhibit behavioral and emotional problems. Many such problems had been undiagnosed despite parental concern and the conviction that the psychiatric problems were the most burdensome in many cases. Neurologists and psychiatrists need to develop better programs for the adequate management of psychiatric disorders in this population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Maternal origin of inv dup(15) chromosomes in infantile autism.

Six male patients with infantile autism and an extra inverted duplicated chromosome 15[inv dup(15)] were reported in a previous study. These patients had four copies of the chromosome region 15pter-q13, or an inv dup(15)(pter-->q13; q13-->pter). In this new study, DNA from the families of four of the patients were analysed using Southern based RFLPs and microsatellite polymorphisms from the region. In all four cases the inv dup(15) chromosome was of maternal origin. Furthermore, the data suggests that it originated in the maternal meiotic process rather than in an early mitosis in the developmental process of the embryo. The extra chromosome contained material from both of the maternally derived 15-chromosomes. Based on the molecular data presented here, a model for the origin of chromosome markers of this type is proposed.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗