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Double-blind placebo-controlled trial of pentoxifylline added to risperidone: effects on aberrant behavior in
Shahin Akhondzadeh1, Jalil Fallah, Mohammad-Reza Mohammadi
1Psychiatric Research Centre, Roozbeh Psychiatric Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, South Kargar Street, Tehran 13337, Iran. s.akhond@neda.net
Insights
Adding pentoxifylline to risperidone significantly improved behavioral symptoms in children with autism. This combination therapy showed greater reductions in irritability, social withdrawal, and hyperactivity compared to risperidone alone.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Immunology
Background:
- Evidence suggests immune system involvement in autism pathophysiology.
- Autistic disorder often presents with disruptive behavioral symptoms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of pentoxifylline combined with risperidone in treating autistic disorder.
- To assess the impact on behavioral symptoms in children with autism.
Main Methods:
- A 10-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study involving 40 children (ages 4-12) diagnosed with autism.
- Participants received either pentoxifylline (600 mg/day) plus risperidone (up to 3 mg/day) or placebo plus risperidone.
- Behavioral outcomes were measured using the Aberrant Behavior Checklist-Community (ABC-C).
Main Results:
- The pentoxifylline plus risperidone group showed significant reductions in ABC-C subscale scores.
- Greater improvements were observed in Irritability, Lethargy/Social Withdrawal, Stereotypic Behavior, Hyperactivity/Noncompliance, and Inappropriate Speech.
Conclusions:
- Combination therapy with pentoxifylline and atypical antipsychotics may offer synergistic benefits for behavioral problems in children with autism.
- This suggests a potential new treatment strategy for managing autism-related behavioral challenges.
Background:
There are several lines of evidence to indicate that the immune system plays an important role in the pathophysiology of autism. The objective of this study was to access the effects of pentoxifylline plus risperidone in the treatment of autistic disorder.
Methods:
Forty children between the ages 4 and 12 years with a DSM IV-TR clinical diagnosis of autism were recruited. The children presented with a chief complaint of severely disruptive symptoms related to autistic disorder. Patients were randomly allocated to pentoxifylline+risperidone or placebo+risperidone for a 10-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. The dose of risperidone was titrated up to 3 mg/day, pentoxifylline was titrated to 600 mg/day. Patients were assessed at baseline and after 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 weeks of starting medication. The measure of the outcome was the Aberrant Behavior Checklist-Community (ABC-C).
Results:
The difference between the two protocols was significant as the group that received pentoxifylline had greater reduction in ABC-C subscale scores for Irritability, Lethargy/Social Withdrawal, Stereotypic Behavior, Hyperactivity/Noncompliance and Inappropriate Speech.
Conclusion:
The results suggest that combination of atypical antipsychotic medications and pentoxifylline might have synergistic effects in treatment of behavioral problems of children with autism.
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