This small study shows the drug should be considered effective after these injuries.
Stimulants improve impaired attention and processing speed in adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Children with TBI are certainly vulnerable to the same problems in addition to pre-injury attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of methylphenidate in 26 children with moderate-to-severe TBI and attentional complaints (age range, 6–17), researchers evaluated both lab-based and everyday measures of attention, speed of processing, and executive functioning.
The children had had a TBI 6 or more months previously and had screened positive for ADHD via a parent-rating scale. Participants underwent randomization to receive methylphenidate (MPH) or placebo for 4 weeks; they then …
Reviewing Author
DisclosuresRoyaltiesTextbook of Traumatic Brain Injury, 2nd and 3rd editions
Editorial BoardsUpToDate; Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesNorth American Brain Injury Association (Board Member); National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (Chair of Data Monitoring Safety Board for study of donepezil on cognition after traumatic brain injury)
DisclosuresRoyaltiesTextbook of Traumatic Brain Injury, 2nd and 3rd editions
Editorial BoardsUpToDate; Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesNorth American Brain Injury Association (Board Member); National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (Chair of Data Monitoring Safety Board for study of donepezil on cognition after traumatic brain injury)