Effect of vitamin D treatment in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

BACKGROUND: In this research the symptom improvement of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) of children was assessed by oral vitamin D administration in Tabriz, Iran. METHODS: In this double-blind, randomized clinical trials, 96 children (2-18 years) were enrolled to placebo and vitamin D groups. Children took vitamin D pearl (50,000 IU/week) or placebo for 6 weeks. Children, who had the change in methylphenidate dosage and received any anticonvulsants and corticosteroids were excluded from the research. ADHD symptoms were diagnosed by Conners parent rating scale (CPRS) test at baseline and after intervention. ADHD Conners divided into inattention (IA), hyperactivity/impulsivity (H/I) and combination type (C) subscales. Vitamin D serum level was assessed at baseline and after 8 weeks in both groups. RESULTS: The differences between CPRS and its subscales were not significant at baseline (P > 0.05). The Conners IA score was decreased in vitamin D group (P < 0.05; adjusted with age and baseline values). ADHD Conners and all subscale scores reduced remarkably after intervention in patients with insufficient level of vitamin D compared to placebo (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Oral vitamin D improved ADHD symptoms with a particular effect on inattention symptoms. In addition, symptoms related to all subscales were improved remarkably in patients with insufficient level of vitamin D. Vitamin D treatment in children with ADHD could be considered due to the expand benefit of vitamin D in body.

A Comparison of Autistic Like Traits in the Relatives of Patients with Autism and Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder.

Objective: This study aimed to identify autistic like traits in relatives of patients with schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder. Method: causal-comparative research design was utilized. Fifty individuals among the first degree relatives of patients with autism spectrum disorder and 50 individuals among the first degree relatives of patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder were selected. Autistic-like traits were evaluated by Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ). Multivariate analysis of variance was used to compare the autistic like traits in two groups. Results: First degree relatives of individuals with autism spectrum disorder got higher scores in deficiency of social skill, deficiency of communication, deficiency of attention, and attention to details. As well as they got lower scores in deficiency of imagination, in comparison to relatives of individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorder. Conclusion: Relatives of individuals with autism spectrum disorder compared to relatives of patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder showed higher rates of autistic like traits. Only the exception was imagination subscale.

Comparison of the effect of pharmacotherapy and neuro-feedback therapy on oral health of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

BACKGROUND: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic and progressive mental disorder related to the childhood period. This study aims to compare the oral health of two groups of ADHD children: those under pharmacotherapy and those under neuro-feedback therapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 72 ADHD children (aged 6-12) were divided into two 36 member groups: The pharmacotherapy group and the neuro-feedback therapy group. Unstimulated salivary flow (USF), DMFT, and plaque index were assessed in these children. Statistical analysis was carried out on the data with the independent t-test, which was performed using SPSS 16. The significance level of the study was p<0.05. RESULTS: In this study, the USF of ADHD children who used Ritalin was found to be significantly less than that of the neuro-feedback group (1.25 ± 1.21 vs. 1.91 ± 1.16 ml/min; p=0.002). Also, the plaque index (5.9 ± 3.1 vs. 3.94 ± 1.9; p=0.018) and DMFT scores (39% ± 9% vs. 31% ± 9%; p=0.018) were significantly higher for the pharmacotherapy group. CONCLUSIONS: Neuro-feedback therapy is preferable to Ritalin treatment for ADHD children in terms of their oral health status. Key words:Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, drug therapy, neurofeedback, oral health.

Is Emotion Recognition Related to Core Symptoms of Childhood ADHD?

OBJECTIVE: Children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have some problems in social relationships which may be related to their deficit in recognizing emotional expressions. It is not clear if the deficit in emotion recognition is secondary to core symptoms of ADHD or can be considered as an independent symptom. This study aimed to evaluate the ability of detecting emotional faces and its relation to inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity in children with ADHD compared to a typically developing (TD) group. METHODS: Twenty-eight boys diagnosed as having ADHD, aged from seven to 12 years old were compared to 27 TD boys using a computerized Facial Emotion Recognition Task (FERT). Conners' Parent Rating Scale (CPRS) and Continuous Performance Test II (CPT II) were also administered to assess the severity of inattention and impulsivity. RESULTS: The percentages of angry, happy and sad faces detected by children with ADHD were significantly lower (p<0.05) compared to the control group. The time spent in recognizing happy faces was higher in the ADHD group (p=0.04). The sequential regression analyses showed a significant association between angry and sad targets recognition and inattention (P<0.05), as well as between oppositionality and angry faces detection (P<0.05) when hyperactivity-impulsivity was added to the model. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that children with ADHD suffer from some impairments in recognizing angry, happy and sad faces. This deficit may be related to inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity.

OBJECTIF: Les enfants souffrant du trouble de déficit de l'attention avec hyperactivité (TDAH) ont des problèmes de relations sociales qui peuvent être liés à leur déficit de reconnaître les expressions émotionnelles. Il n'est pas déterminé si le déficit de reconnaissance des émotions est secondaire aux symptômes de base du TDAH ou s'il peut être considéré comme étant un symptôme indépendant. Cette étude visait à évaluer la capacité de détecter les expressions émotionnelles faciales et sa relation à l'inattention et à l'hyperactivité-impulsivité chez les enfants souffrant du TDAH comparativement à un groupe au développement typique (DT). MÉTHODES: Vingt-huit garçons de 7 à 12 ans ayant reçu un diagnostic de TDAH ont été comparés avec 27 garçons au DT à l'aide du test informatisé de reconnaissance des émotions faciales (FERT). L'échelle d'évaluation des parents (CPRS) et le test de performance continu II (CPT II) de Conners ont aussi été administrés pour évaluer la gravité de l'inattention et l'impulsivité. RÉSULTATS: Les pourcentages de visages fâchés, heureux et tristes détectés par les enfants souffrant du TDAH étaient significativement plus faibles (p < 0,05) que ceux du groupe témoin. Le temps passé à reconnaître les visages heureux était plus élevé dans le groupe du TDAH (p = 0,04). Les analyses de régression séquentielle indiquaient une association significative entre la reconnaissance des visages fâchés et tristes et l'inattention (P < 0,05), ainsi qu'entre l'oppositionnalité et la détection des visages fâchés (P < 0,05) quand l'hyperactivité-impulsivité était ajoutée au modèle. CONCLUSION: Il est possible de conclure que les enfants souffrant du TDAH présentent un déficit de reconnaissance des visages fâchés, heureux et tristes. Ce déficit peut être lié à l'inattention et à l'hyperactivité-impulsivité.