The laboratory school protocol: its origin, use, and new applications.
OBJECTIVE
ADHD is the most common childhood psychiatric disorder, with impairments seen in home and academic settings. To investigate such impairments in a school-like setting, the laboratory school protocol (LSP) was developed at the University of California, Irvine.


METHODS
This model provides a rigorously controlled environment to examine pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic aspects of responses to treatment. A key principle of this methodology is to exercise tight control of the timing and context of measurements by establishing a cycle of activities repeated across each study day. In addition, the LSP approach has been extended to both younger and older populations than the typically studied school-aged group. This extension requires corresponding modifications in measures to characterize drug efficacy and to allow evaluation of ADHD symptoms in a highly standardized setting.


RESULTS
This article provides guidelines for employing the LSP for the assessment of medication effects for both preschool and adolescent/adult populations.


CONCLUSIONS
The LSP can be modified to form either an Adult Workplace Environment or a Preschool Assessment Laboratory.
Wigal
Sharon B
SB
University of California, Irvine, Child Development Center, CA 92612, USA. sbwigal@uci.edu
Wigal
Timothy L
TL
D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects; D012572:School Health Services
D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants