1043-3155 Pediatr Neurol Briefs pedneurbriefs Pediatr Neurol Briefs Pediatric Neurology Briefs Pediatr Neurol Briefs 2166-6482 1043-3155 2166-3155 Pediatric Neurology Briefs Publishers Chicago, IL, USA PNB-12-40-a 10.15844/pedneurbriefs-12-5-13 Attention Deficit Disorders Neurology Pediatrics Nervous System Diseases Child Development Brain Diseases Neurosurgery Child Infant Methylphenidate Effects on EEG and ADHD http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0173-7931 Millichap J. Gordon MD 1 2 * Division of Neurology, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL Correspondence: Dr. J. Gordon Millichap, E-mail: jgmillichap@northwestern.edu 05 1998 01 05 2016 12 5 40 40 Copyright: © 1998 The Author(s) 1998 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Methylphenidate effects on EEG, behavior, and performance in boys with ADHD

The effects of methylphenidate (MPH) on the EEG during baseline and cognitive tasks were evaluated using spectral analysis in 23 boys, aged 9 to 11, with ADHD, and results were analyzed at the Departments of Psychology, State University of New York, Cortland, NY, and University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, and the Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD.

 Methylphenidate Spectral Analysis Cortical Function

The effects of methylphenidate (MPH) on the EEG during baseline and cognitive tasks were evaluated using spectral analysis in 23 boys, aged 9 to 11, with ADHD, and results were analyzed at the Departments of Psychology, State University of New York, Cortland, NY, and University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, and the Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD. Behavioral and performance measures improved with MPH, global effects on the cortical EEG were not observed, but regional changes in the EEG were induced by MPH under task-specific conditions. The findings support the hypothesis that MPH affects the brainstem and subcortical areas but not cortical function. The value of the EEG as a measure of MPH effectiveness is not supported by these studies. [1]

COMMENT. Earlier EEG studies in ADHD subjects, reviewed by the authors, have shown a failure to attenuate alpha activity during mental tasks, decreased beta activity, and increased delta and theta activity. Treatment with MPH may have a normalizing effect, with trends in reduced alpha, increased beta, and reduced overall amplitude. The present study shows EEG changes during MPH treatment, mainly regional and during reading, coding, and visual-motor tasks. Increased beta 1 and beta 2 activity in central and parietal regions of the left hemisphere during visual-motor tasks point toward a normalizing effect of MPH on the EEG. The EEG as a measure of MPH effects in ADHD requires further study.

Swartwood MO Swartwood JN Lubar JF Timmermann DL Zimmerman AW Muenchen RA Methylphenidate effects on EEG, behavior, and performance in boys with ADHD Pediatr Neurol 1998 Mar 18 3 244 50 10.1016/S0887-8994(97)00205-1 9568922