title: Time-response analysis of the effect of stimulant medication on the learning ability of children referred for hyperactivity.
abstract: This report introduces a method for obtaining behavioral time-response information for a short-acting psychotropic drug (methylphenidate [Ritalin]) that is widely used to treat behaviorally hyperactive children. We used a laboratory learning task to document that between one and two hours after the administration of a single dose of methylphenidate, the drug exerts its maximum effect on performance in a learning task in the laboratory. This effect on cognitive performance dissipates within the same day. This rapid and transient effect of methylphenidate makes it possible to classify patients in a single day into those who respond favorably and those who respond adversely to the drug in terms of its effect on cognitive behavior.
mesh_terms: D001245:Association Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D008774:Methylphenidate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011379:Prognosis; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D008774:Methylphenidate