Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 19, 2026

Boldness, Aggression, and Shoaling Assays for Zebrafish Behavioral Syndromes
Published on: August 29, 2016
Treatment of aggressive behavior problems in boys with intellectual disabilities using zuclopenthixol
Frank Hässler1, Alexander Dück, Martin Jung
11 Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Medicine of Rostock , Rostock, Germany .
Objective:
Disruptive or challenging behavior problems pose a threat to children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities and their caregivers. Psychopharmacological treatment is mostly studied with new-generation antipsychotics and has been criticized for adverse side effects. This study examined the effect of the classic antipsychotic zuclopenthixol.
Methods:
A total of 39 boys (ages 8.0-17.11 years) with learning disabilities were included and examined for a response to zuclopenthixol during a 6 week period of open label treatment. Doses started low and were adapted individually. From responders, zuclopenthixol was randomly withdrawn for 12 weeks. Responses to withdrawal were observed by external raters using the Modified Overt Aggression Scale.
Results:
Of all patients included into the study, 15 were not randomized because of insufficient therapeutic effect, adverse event, or noncompliance. Kaplan-Meier estimations showed less aggressive behavior problems for the continuing subgroup (n=9) than in the placebo group (n=15). Individual doses stayed <10 mg/day.
Conclusions:
Zuclopenthixol proved to be effective in reducing challenging behavior in boys even at low doses.
Related Concept Videos
Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy
Operant Conditioning Intervention
In operant conditioning, behaviors that are...
Conduct Disorder
Treatment Strategies for Psychological Disorders
Psychological therapies focus on modifying emotions, thoughts, and behaviors through talking, interpreting, listening, rewarding, challenging, and modeling. Clinical psychologists, counselors, and social workers commonly practice psychotherapy. Clinical...
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
Diagnostic Criteria and...
Behavior Modification
A real-world application of operant conditioning principles is applied...

