title: Neuropsychiatric effects of guanfacine in children with mild tourette syndrome: a pilot study.
abstract: The objective of this study was to evaluate the neuropsychiatric effects of the alpha-2a adrenergic agonist guanfacine in children with Tourette syndrome (TS). Twenty-four children with TS participated in a 4-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of guanfacine. Tic severity, neuropsychologic functioning, and parent ratings of behavior were evaluated pre- and post-treatment. The sample had mild tic severity and subtle neuropsychologic dysfunction pretreatment. Post-treatment, patients receiving guanfacine were rated by parents as significantly improved (compared to placebo) on one measure of executive function (parent-rated metacognition). Improvement on tic severity, performance-based neuropsychologic measures, and all other parent ratings were not significantly better than placebo. At a moderate dose and short-term treatment duration, guanfacine did not provide significant neuropsychiatric benefits in this group of children with mild TS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Dana D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Cummings
authors.forename: Harvey S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Singer
authors.forename: Madeline
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krieger
authors.forename: Teresa L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: E Mark
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Mahone
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001288:Attention; D002648:Child; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D016316:Guanfacine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011340:Problem Solving; D020323:Tics / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D005879:Tourette Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists; D016316:Guanfacine