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. 2009 Oct 31;50(5):650-5.
doi: 10.3349/ymj.2009.50.5.650. Epub 2009 Oct 21.

Variability of response time as a predictor of methylphenidate treatment response in korean children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Seung-Hye Lee  1 , Dong-Ho Song, Bung-Nyun Kim, Yoo Sook Joung, Eun Hye Ha, Keun-Ah Cheon, Yee-Jin Shin, Hee Jeong Yoo, Dong-Won Shin
Affiliations

Variability of response time as a predictor of methylphenidate treatment response in korean children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Seung-Hye Lee et al. Yonsei Med J. .

Abstract

Purpose: Methylphenidate (MPH) is an effective medication for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, about 30% of patients do not respond to or are unable to tolerate MPH. Based on previous findings, we hypothesized that great variability in response time (RT) among Korean children with ADHD on a computerized continuous performance attention test would be related to poor MPH treatment response.

Materials and methods: Children (ages 6-18 years) with ADHD were recruited for a prospective 12-week, open-labeled, multicenter study to examine optimal dosage of OROS methylphenidate. Of the 144 subjects selected, 28 dropped out due to adverse events, medication noncompliance, or follow-up loss, and an additional 26 subjects with comorbid disorders were excluded from statistical analyses. We defined 'responders' as subjects who received a score of less than 18 on the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder rating scale (ARS; Korean version, K-ARS) and a score of 1 or 2 on the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale (CGI-I). RT variability was assessed with the ADHD diagnostic system (ADS).

Results: Fifty-nine (67%) subjects responded to MPH treatment. The non-responders showed greater RT variability at baseline (Mann Whitney U = 577.0, p < 0.01). Baseline RT variability was a significant predictor of MPH response (Nagelkerke R(2) = 0.136, p < 0.01). It predicted 94.9% of responder, 17.2% of non-responder and 69.3% of overall group.

Conclusion: High RT variability may predict poor response to MPH treatment in children with ADHD.

Keywords: ADHD; methylphenidate; response time variability.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no financial conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
ADHD diagnostic system scores of the responders. Baseline and week 12 scores were compared by paired T-test analyses. ADHD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. *p < 0.05, †p < 0.01.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
ADHD diagnostic system scores of the non-responders. Comparison of baseline and week 12 scores were made by paired T-test analyses. ADHD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. *p < 0.05.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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