Effect of methylphenidate on thought processing time in children

Methylphenidate is commonly prescribed for children in order to improve attentional aspects of their behavior. However, resultant long-term academic improvement in these children is negligible. To investigate this discrepancy, a reaction time paradigm was utilized with 10 males and 2 females (mean age was 9.8 years; SD, 1.6 years) diagnosed as having an attentional deficit disorder. Using a double-blind procedure with methylphenidate and a placebo, a decrease in simple reaction time was found in the medication condition. However, no drug effect was found on decision times using a choice reaction time task. It was concluded that methylphenidate and perhaps other stimulant medications affect attentional processes in hyperactive youth but may not affect those higher cortical processes required to make long-term academic gains.