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Biomedical subjects

M G Aman

Publications and source records attributed to M G Aman.

82 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1975

Methylphenidate and haloperidol in children. Effects on attention, memory, and activity.

Twenty-four hyperactive or unsocialized-aggressive children participated in an exploratory double-blind crossover study comparing the cognitive effects of methylphenidate hydrochloride (0.3 mg/kg), two doses (0.25 and 0.05 mg/kg) of haloperidol, and inert placebo. Each subject received each of four drug conditions, drug order being randomized by a Latin square design. At the end of each 18-day trial period, attention, immediate recognition memory, reaction times, and seat activity were tested. While drug effects were small, methylphenidate and, to a lesser extent, the low dose of haloperidol, facilitated performance, whereas there was some suggestion that the high dose of haloperidol may have caused a slight deterioration in performance. These results are contrasted with effects on social behavior where the latter improved behavior. No differences attributable to diagnosis were found.

Aggression↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Parent- and self-ratings of anxiety in children with mental retardation: agreement levels and test-retest reliability.

This study examined fears in children with and without developmental disabilities. Children assigned to classes designed as developmentally handicapped (D), integrated (or mainstreamed) (I), and regular (R) were assessed. In all, 82 children were tested and retested over a 2-week interval. Self ratings and parent ratings were obtained. Three instruments were used to assess specific fears, social anxiety, social competence, and behavior problems: the Fear Survey Schedule for Children--Revised, the Social Anxiety Scale for Children, and the Child Behavior Rating Form. Correlations between parent and child ratings were fair to good. Child-parent agreement was nonsignificantly higher for children without disabilities and for children with mild handicaps integrated into regular education programs than for children in classes designated as Developmentally Handicapped. Children's test-retest reliabilities were generally higher than those of parents. Children without disabilities showed significantly higher consistency over time than children with disabilities.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The Nisonger Child Behavior Rating Form: age and gender effects and norms.

The Nisonger CBRF is a new informant behavior rating scale that was adapted for assessing children and adolescents with mental retardation. A total of 369 children referred to interdisciplinary diagnostic clinics for children with developmental disabilities were rated on the Nisonger Child Behavior Rating Form by their parents and teachers. Normative data (means, T scores, and percentiles) are presented Subscale scores were analyzed as a function of age and gender. Age influenced 3 of 8 subscales on the parent ratings and 1 subscale on the teacher ratings. Gender did not influence subscale scores. Age and gender results are discussed in relation to previous studies of subject variables.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The Nisonger CBRF: a child behavior rating form for children with developmental disabilities.

Although the rate of behavior and emotional problems of children with mental retardation is considerably higher than the rate among typically developing children, there is a shortage of tools for assessing persons with mental retardation. The Child Behavior Rating Form (CBRF) was modified by altering instructions and adding new items describing behavior problems known to occur in children with mental retardation. The adapted scale was named the Nisonger CBRF. Three hundred sixty-nine children being assessed at a University Affiliated Program for MR/DD were rated on the CBRF by their parents and teachers. Independent factor analyses of parent and teacher ratings produced two Social Competence subscales and six Problem Behavior subscales. These results were largely consistent across rater types and similar to prior findings with the CBRF. Internal consistency was generally high, parent-teacher agreement was satisfactory, and subscales from the Nisonger CBRF correlated highly with analogous subscales from the Aberrant Behavior Checklist. The Nisonger CBRF appears to be a promising new tool for assessing behavioral and emotional problems in children with mental retardation; however, further psychometric work is warranted.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Four-year follow-up of children with low intelligence and ADHD.

Twenty-six of 30 participants (87%) who took part in a medication study for treatment of ADHD were followed up 2.9 to 4.8 years (Mean = 3.9 years) later. Parent ratings on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist Community (ABC-C) indicated continued problems on the acting-out subscales, and parent assessments on the Stony Brook Checklist-3R showed a high rate of difficulty on domains called ADHD. Conduct Disorder, and Separation Anxiety Disorder. A high percentage of children (69%) were taking psychotropic drugs, substantial numbers of their families had sought nonmedical treatments, children's friendships were often rudimentary, and a significant minority of children had disciplinary problems in school or difficulty with the law. Using Pearson correlations, we identified a number of initial variables that predicted follow-up parent ratings on the ABC-C and Stony Brook. The ABC-C Irritability subscale was useful in predicting both internalizing and externalizing problems at follow-up, whereas parent and teacher hyperactivity subscales failed to predict later hyperactivity. Children identified with both low intelligence and ADHD appear to have significant behavioral and emotional problems in their early adolescence, and there may be some important qualitative differences in the outcome of these youngsters as compared with that of children identified with ADHD and normal IQ.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Psychometric evaluation of a measure of cognitive decline in elderly people with mental retardation.

Forty elderly persons with mental retardation were assessed by their care providers on a modified version of the Short Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in The Elderly (IQCODE) an instrument designed to quantify cognitive decline in elderly people in the general population. They were also assessed for IQ, aberrant behavior, and current mental status; test-retest and interrater reliability were evaluated as well. Internal consistency, as assessed by coefficient alpha, was moderately high (alpha = .86). Test-retest reliability was mediocre and interrater reliability levels did not reach statistical significance. The Short IQCODE was not correlated with a variety of demographic features or with behavior ratings, showing evidence of divergent validity. However, the Short IQCODE was only weakly (nonsignificantly) correlated with a measure of current mental status, which challenges its concurrent validity. The Short IQCODE probably needs to be modified further for satisfactory psychometric performance in people with mental retardation. However, some features of this study may have resulted in suboptimal estimates of the Short IQCODE's psychometric characteristics.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of sodium valproate on psychomotor performance in children as a function of dose, fluctuations in concentration, and diagnosis.

Forty-six children receiving sodium valproate monotherapy, and with well-controlled seizures, were tested three times, at weekly intervals in the morning, on an extensive battery of psychomotor tests. The first session was a practice session to minimize subsequent practice effects. On one of the remaining 2 test days, morning medication was delayed until after testing (low concentration condition), whereas sodium valproate was given before testing on the alternate session (high concentration day). The data were analyzed for the effects of diagnosis (partial vs. generalized epilepsy), dose (above or below 20 mg/kg/day), and time of medication (low and high drug concentration days). Four variables discriminated between the diagnostic groups, all favoring children with generalized epilepsy. Another four measures were significantly associated with dose, with those on lower doses performing at a superior level. Time of medication had virtually no effect on performance, however. The findings were related to previous diagnostic and dosage research. Although a deterioration in performance at higher doses appears to be consistent with other dosage research, the absence of an effect due to time of medication suggests that performance does not fluctuate between drug administrations.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of carbamazepine on psychomotor performance in children as a function of drug concentration, seizure type, and time of medication.

Fifty children with well-controlled seizures who were receiving carbamazepine (CBZ) monotherapy were tested on a battery of cognitive and motor tests. Time of CBZ was varied so that the children were tested both shortly after CBZ (when daily CBZ concentrations approached their peak) and before CBZ (when CBZ concentrations approached daily low or trough levels). Testing was blind so that the examiner was unaware of the time of CBZ or the child's type of seizure. Results showed only one group difference related to seizure type and no differences linked to overall CBZ concentration as measured in saliva. Peak and trough concentrations were associated with changes in several variables, however. The children performed significantly better shortly after CBZ (peak concentration day) on measures of seat activity, attention span, and motor steadiness, whereas response times appeared to be influenced in a task-specific manner.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of phenytoin on cognitive-motor performance in children as a function of drug concentration, seizure type, and time of medication.

Fifty children with well-controlled seizures who were receiving phenytoin (PHT) monotherapy were tested three times at weekly intervals on a cognitive-motor test battery. The first assessment served as a practice session, and PHT was given either before or withheld until after testing to create peak and trough concentrations, respectively, in the second and third sessions. On average, PHT levels as measured in saliva were in the low therapeutic range. The experimental condition (PHT before or after test sessions) was randomized and balanced across subjects, and assessments were made with examiners blind to diagnosis and timing of PHT ingestion. A variety of statistical models was used to analyze for the effect of age, diagnosis (partial vs. generalized epilepsy), PHT order, PHT concentration (as measured in saliva), and trough/peak concentration effects. Greater age was consistently associated with better performance, but diagnosis, PHT concentration levels, and transition from trough to peak concentration days had few discernible effects on psychomotor performance. Thus, fluctuations in PHT, of the order of 50%, appear to have no or immeasurably small effects in children with well-controlled seizures receiving monotherapy in low therapeutic dosages.

Adolescent↗