Pharmacogenomics , March 2010, Vol. 11, No. 3, Pages 407-419. (Source: Future Medicine: Pharmacogenomics)MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

The risk for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and subthreshold manic and depressive symptoms is increased in preschool children of parents with bipolar disorder, the results of a US study indicate. (Source: MedWire News - Psychiatry)

Stimulants and atomoxetine should generally not be used or used only with caution in adults with pre-existing cardiovascular conditions. The extent to which pre-existing cardiovascular conditions influence initiation of these ADHD medications in adults is not known.We performed a retrospective cohort study of privately insured adults with new ADHD treatment episodes. Pre-existing cardiovascular conditions were assessed by the presence of ICD-9-CM codes for congenital abnormalities, atherosclerosis, cardiac disease, and cerebrovascular disease in the 12 months before the index ADHD diagnosis. The primary outcome was new initiation of a stimulant or atomoxetine in the 3 months after the index date. Multivariate logistic regression was used to predict the likelihood of treatment initiation wi...

But it shouldn't affect mental health overall, study finds Source: HealthDay Related MedlinePlus Pages: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism (Source: MedlinePlus Health News)

But it shouldn't affect mental health overall, study finds Source: HealthDay Related MedlinePlus Pages: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism (Source: MedlinePlus Health News)

Forty-nine carefully diagnosed adults with persistent attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), who had never been medicated for their ADHD, were compared with 49 normal control adults matched for age and gender on a large battery of tests in five domains of executive functioning (inhibition, fluency, planning, working memory, and set shifting) and several other neuropsychological functions to control for nonexecutive test demands. After stringent controls for nonexecutive function demands and IQ, adults with ADHD showed problems in inhibition and set shifting but not in any of the other executive functioning domains tested. We argue that adult ADHD may be mainly a disorder of inhibition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: Neuropsychology)

Conclusions Meta-cognitive therapy yielded significantly greater improvements in dimensional and categorical estimates of severity of ADHD symptoms compared with supportive therapy. These findings support the efficacy of meta-cognitive therapy as a viable psychosocial intervention. PMID: 20231319 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: The American Journal of Psychiatry)MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

SCOTLAND'S first service for adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is being launched to cope with rising numbers with the condition needing help. (Source: Scotsman.com News - Health)

Did you know that ambidextrous kids are more likely to have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)? Being about to write, throw a ball, or button a shirt with either hand -- known as mixed-handedness, or ambidexterity -- may seem like a good thing. But according to a recent study, mix-handed children are more than twice as likely to have ADHD as kids who are exclusively left- or rig.... (Source: Sound Medicine)

Abstract  A 17-year-old male was found to have a fourth cranial nerve palsy and chronic papilloedema following his presentation to our institution with a 6-week history of blurred vision in both eyes and vertical binocular diplopia. A diagnosis of pineal germinoma was made following imaging studies and endoscopic neurosurgical biopsy of the tumour. He was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) 3 years earlier and treated with amphetamines. Since this diagnosis, he continued to suffer from hyperactive behaviour, poor concentration, worsening headaches and insomnia. Pineal pathology has a known association with sleep disturbance through the disturbance of melatonin synthesis and/or metabolism. This case report serves to highlight how the presence ...

Conclusion: Our findings indicate that the probability of positive effect of central stimulants on core problems of ADHD is higher when motor problems are present in addition to ADHD symptoms, than when motor problems are absent. (Source: Acta Paediatrica)

Although it's typically considered an adolescent curse, ADHD actually affects about five percent of adults as well. New research in a mouse model of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder suggests that the root of the psychiatric disorder might be the over-activity of a protein that regulates dopaminergic pathways. The work suggests a path toward new treatments for symptoms including inattentiveness, over-activity and impulsivity. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Travis Blackley, a relief pitcher from Australia who is trying to earn a spot on the Mets’ roster, has attention deficit disorder. (Source: NYT > Health)

Conclusions: A bifactor model of ADHD latent symptom structure is superior to existing factor models of ADHD. This finding is interpreted in relation to multi-component models of ADHD development, and clinical implications are discussed. (Source: Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry)

Obtaining an electrocardiogram (ECG) to screen for heart conditions in children prior to prescribing stimulant medication to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may save some lives but it is borderline cost-effective, according to an NIH study published online ahead of print March 8, 2010, in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. (Source: National Institute of Mental Health)

The objective of our study was to test the hypothesis that central CA are responsible for the increase in speed reaction seen after physical activity (PA) and to measure the impact of high intensity PA on the sustained attention of 25 children diagnosed with ADHD consistent with the Disease Statistical Mental-IV (DSM-IV) criteria. It is possible that practicing sports assists in the management of the disorder. The children were divided between users (US) and non-users (NUS) of methylphenidate (MTP), and the groups were compared to evaluate the effect of the drug on cognition after PA. Post-exercise performance on Conner’s Continuous Performance Test-II (CPT) was not affected by MTP, we observed significant improvements in response time, and we saw normalization in the impulsivity a...

Abstract  The cause and pathophysiology of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are unknown, but compelling evidence suggests an involvement of genetic factors. While dopamine is believed to play a major role in ADHD, the role for norepinephrine and serotonin systems has also been indicated. Mutant mice are valuable tools to dissect the contribution of specific neurotransmitter systems to brain dysfunction and particularly useful to decode complex multi-transmitter interaction that is critical to the pathophysiology of ADHD. Genetically altered mice provided also an opportunity to test experimentally the role of novel candidate genes for this disorder identified in genetic clinical studies. While it is clear that no rodent model would be able to recapitulate full...MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Abstract  Methylphenidate (MPH) is a very effective treatment option for children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Nevertheless, there have been inconsistent reports regarding the effects of MPH on learning and memory. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the treatment with MPH during the morning differs from that during the night on learning and memory (short and long term) in young and adult male Wistar rats. The animals received once daily intraperitoneal injection of either MPH (2 mg/kg) or saline (0.9%) for 28 days (either in the morning or at night). The animals underwent two behavioral tasks to evaluate learning and memory: inhibitory avoidance task and continuous multiple trials step-down inhibitory avoidance (CMIA). ...

Abstract  Twin studies described a strongly heritable component of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents. However, findings varied considerably between studies. In addition, ADHD presents with a high rate of comorbid disorders and associated psychopathology. Therefore, this literature review reports findings from population-based twin studies regarding the influence of subtypes, assessment instruments, rater effects, sex differences, and comorbidity rates on ADHD heritability estimates. In addition, genetic effects on the persistence of ADHD are discussed. By reviewing relevant factors influencing heritability estimates more homogeneous subtypes relevant for molecular genetic studies can be elicited. A systematic search of population-ba...

Electrocardiogram screening to check for heart problems in hyperactive children before prescribing stimulant medications may ... (Source: USATODAY.com Health)