Active clinical trials for "Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity"

Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is an early onset, highly heritable, clinically heterogeneous, long-term impairing disorder with tremendous impact on individuals, families, and societies. It affects 7.5% of school-aged children in Taiwan. Emerging evidence has suggested that patients with ADHD may present with a deficit of attention, alertness and sleep disturbances. Since attention, alertness, and sleep disturbances may significantly increase the functional impairment of ADHD, gaining insight into their pathophysiology as well as into their treatment is of relevance to provide a better clinical management of patients suffering from ADHD. The orexin system, located in the hypothalamus, takes an important role in homeostatic functions, such as attention, alertness, sleep-wake cycle, and feeding. To our best knowledge, the functioning of the orexin system has never been investigated in patients with ADHD. Given the involvement of the orexin system in the control of alertness and reward seeking, the present study aims to examine whether plasma orexin and mRNA expression levels of pre-pro-orexin gene are associated with the symptoms and neurocognitive deficits of ADHD.

This study investigated quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) subtypes as auxiliary tools to assess Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Patient assessed using the Korean version of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children Version IV and were assigned to one of three groups: ADHD, ADHD-Not Otherwise specified (NOS), and Neurotypical (NT). The investigators measure absolute and relative EEG power in 19 channels and conducted an auditory continuous performance test. The investigators analyzed QEEG according to the frequency range: delta (1-4 Hz), theta (4-8 Hz), slow alpha (8-10 Hz), fast alpha (10-13.5 Hz), and beta (13.5-30 Hz). The subjects were then grouped by Ward's method of cluster analysis using the squared Euclidian distance to measure dissimilarities.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder in children and adolescents. Growth hormone and thyroid function are associated with both physical and neurocognitive development. Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) could disturb the normal function of endocrine systems, and further link to the pathophysiology of ADHD. In addition, whether methylphenidate for treating ADHD influences growth hormone and thyroid function of patients remains unclear.

The main objective of this study is to carry out a descriptive study of the clinical and demographic characteristics of patients having consulted for a specialized opinion about ADHD in adults of the psychiatric service of the Strasbourg University Hospital. The characteristics of patients were collected during the first consultation, by the psychiatrist, and analyzed retrospectively. The secondary objective is to evaluate the evolution at one year in terms of follow-up, maintenance under medical treatment and perceived effects of it. The patients who had a prescription for pharmacological treatment of ADHD were contacted between 9 and 15 months after the first consultation and responded to a questionnaire assessing the evolution.

The current study using the longitudinal study in preschool children to exam three study issues: 1) using the neuropsychological functions (ie. Behavioral inhibition, delay aversion, the variability of reaction time) among the preschool children predict the ADHD diagnosis and behavior symptoms in 1.5 years later. 2) using the behavior inhibition, delay aversion and the variability of reaction time (using the parameter among Gaussian distribution and ex-Gaussian distribution) explore the association between attention and motor inhibition problems. 3) explore the transaction effect between the neuropsychological functions and family function and parenting to predict ADHD comorbidity with oppositional defiant disorder.4) explore the association between the internalizing/ externalizing problems of ADHD and temperament. The current study has opportunity to describe and to answer the complicated problems for heterogeneous neuropsychological deficits in ADHD, and to elucidate the core issues for ADHD have comorbid with ODD. The most important contribution is to offer the empirical evidence to make a clean suggestion in ADHD diagnosis and intervention in preschool age.

The purpose of this study is to characterize the profile of executive functions and eye movements in several populations of children with developmental disabilities.

Due to the shortage of child psychiatrists and the high prevalence of child mental health disorder, pediatricians and other pediatric primary care providers often assume responsibility for the management of various psychiatric disorders, including ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. However, pediatricians have not been well-trained during residency to deal with the complexities of ADHD management. In addition, the system of care under which pediatricians practice do not afford the time availability that is required to properly manage a child with ADHD. On the other hand, if a pediatrician wishes to refer a patient to a child mental health specialist, many obstacles, including but not limited to stigma, insurance issues, and long waiting lists, often interfere with the patient actually receiving services for his/her ADHD. This research project seeks to examine an innovative model of care in which a child psychologist is located on the premises of a pediatric office and is available to share the care of patients with the pediatrician in order to address ADHD. We hypothesize that parents as well as pediatricians will be more satisfied with this model of care and that patients will ultimately have better outcomes. The beginning of our pilot has shown under-identification to be a barrier to care as well, and thus we propose to implement a quality improvement initiative to screen children for psychosocial issues as well. As we have had trouble with recruitment and unfortunately have had more children randomized to TAU than shared care, we propose in December 2007 a phase 2 of our study where all subjects, instead of randomization, are entered into shared care.

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by the presence of persistent signs of associated hyperactivity-impulsivity and/or inattention that impair the child's functioning or development. The involvement of genetic factors has been shown in numerous studies. Other studies have also highlighted the contributions of parent-child interaction in the development, expression and persistence of symptoms.However, the mechanisms by which parenting practices and attachment may influence ADHD symptoms remain unclear. The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of attachment style of the child, the educational practices and the presence of attentional/executive disorders of parents on the expression of ADHD in children aged 7 to 10. This prospective empirical research will compare children with ADHD and their parents to a matched control group.

Introduction: The use of low dose risperidone and other antipsychotic drugs off-label as augmentation treatment for adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Disruptive Behavioral Disorder (DBD) has become widely common worldwide, usually to help control behavioral difficulties. While some argue that agents that block dopaminergic receptors may have a deleterious cognitive effect, others stress their moderating effects, which possibly improve function in all domains, including cognitive functions. Only a few studies have examined this topic, with inconclusive results. Aim of study: To measure the effect of risperidone treatment on various cognitive functions in a population of ADHD diagnosed children and adolescents with normal IQ. Design: The study is an observational prospective open label clinical controlled trial. The investigators will compare the performance in a battery of cognitive tasks using the Penn Web-Based Computerized Neurocognitive Battery (WebCNP) and the IGT, in children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD, with and without risperidone. Study population: Children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD, 8-17 years old, may be eligible for this study. We will recruit subjects who their psychiatrist is considering rispieridone treatment, those who are already treated with risperidone and subjects with only stimulants treatment. All pharmacological treatment is supervised and prescribed to subjects by their personal psychiatrist unrelated to the study. Significance: Better knowledge of the specific cognitive effects of this form of therapy will help us guide both clinical decisions, and recommended monitoring in daily clinical work.

The aim of this study is to investigate the inflammatory response in children with this disorder.