Methylphenidate improves aspects of executive function in African American children with ADHD
Leslie Ann Hazel-Fernandez1, Rafael Klorman, James M Wallace
1Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, University of Rochester, NY 14642, USA. Leslie_HazelFernandez@urmc.rochester.edu
Objective:
The undertreatment of ethnic minority children with ADHD prompted a study on the effects of methylphenidate (MPH) on the executive functions of African American children with ADHD.
Method:
Nineteen African American children with ADHD are tested on the Tower of Hanoi (TOH) and the Paired Associates Learning Task (PAL) in a double-blind crossover acute challenge of MPH and placebo.
Results:
Under MPH, TOH rule breaks decrease, especially in the second testing session, and TOH planning time increases, particularly for incorrect solutions; PAL recall in the final learning trial improves with MPH.
Conclusion:
Similar to previous findings with predominantly majority samples of patients with ADHD, MPH enhances planning, precision, and persistence in African American children with ADHD.
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