Effects of sedative and nonsedative antihistamines on prefrontal activity during verbal fluency task in young children: a near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) study.
BACKGROUND
Antagonists of histamine H(1) receptors (antihistamines) are widely used for the treatment of allergic disorders in children. These drugs' sedative effect on brain function, however, has been mostly examined in adults.


OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to examine the effects of anitihistamines on prefrontal cortex activity in young children using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), a novel brain-imaging method.


METHODS
In 15 healthy children (mean age, 7.7 years), we examined changes of oxygenated hemoglobin concentration in the prefrontal cortex while they performed a verbal fluency task 3 h after taking a sedating antihistamine (ketotifen), nonsedating antihistamine (epinastine), or placebo.


RESULTS
Ketotifen significantly impaired behavioral performance and cortical activation at the lateral prefrontal cortex compared with placebo. There were no sedative effects on neural response or behavioral performance after epinastine administration.


CONCLUSIONS
NIRS revealed that sedating and nonsedating antihistamines exert differential effects on brain hemodynamic response in young children.
Tsujii
Takeo
T
Center for Advanced Research on Logic and Sensibility, Keio University, Mita 3-1-7, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-0073, Japan. tuji@flet.keio.ac.jp
Masuda
Sayako
S
Yamamoto
Eriko
E
Ohira
Takayuki
T
Akiyama
Takekazu
T
Takahashi
Takao
T
Watanabe
Shigeru
S
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D003984:Dibenzazepines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D006634:Histamine H1 Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D007093:Imidazoles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007665:Ketotifen / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007807:Language Tests; D008297:Male; D010108:Oxyhemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared / Q000379:methods; D014705:Verbal Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*
D003984:Dibenzazepines; D006454:Hemoglobins; D006634:Histamine H1 Antagonists; D007093:Imidazoles; D010108:Oxyhemoglobins; C100003:deoxyhemoglobin; C053090:epinastine; D007665:Ketotifen
Brain Res. 2009 Sep 1;1287:118-25
19577547
Neuroimage. 2007 Jan 1;34(1):399-406
16997577
Hum Psychopharmacol. 2002 Dec;17(8):413-8
12457377
Psychiatry Res. 2007 Oct 15;156(1):1-13
17587553
Psychol Med. 1973 Nov;3(4):479-86
4762224
Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2003 Jun;14(3):207-11
12787300
J Psychopharmacol. 2006 Jul;20(4):506-17
16401664
Neuroreport. 1999 Jun 3;10(8):1683-8
10501557
Psychophysiology. 2003 Jul;40(4):501-10
14570158
Appl Opt. 2003 Jun 1;42(16):3054-62
12790457
Neurosci Res. 2008 Mar;60(3):319-26
18192048
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2003 Sep 16;100(19):10722-7
12960368
Pediatr Res. 2002 Aug;52(2):251-7
12149503
Hum Psychopharmacol. 2000 Oct;15(S1):S3-S30
12404608
Clin Exp Allergy. 1999 Jul;29 Suppl 3:133-42
10444227
Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2006 Jan;61(1):79-86
16390354
Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2007 Sep;194(1):83-91
17534605
Trends Cogn Sci. 2000 Jul;4(7):267-278
10859571
J Pediatr. 1994 Jun;124(6):979-83
8201490
Nucl Med Biol. 2004 Feb;31(2):165-71
15013481
Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2006 Jan;61(1):16-26
16390347
Pediatrics. 2004 Feb;113(2):e116-21
14754980
Neuroreport. 2009 May 27;20(8):759-63
19352206
Neuroimage. 2004 Jan;21(1):99-111
14741647
J Clin Pharmacol. 2004 Aug;44(8):890-900
15286093
J Psychopharmacol. 2006 Jul;20(4):496-505
16174671
Neuroimage. 2006 Feb 1;29(3):706-11
16230030
Brain Dev. 2006 Jun;28(5):315-21
16481139
Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 1996 Feb;7(1):22-7
8792380
Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2006 Jul;187(1):95-102
16767419
Pharmacol Ther. 2007 Jan;113(1):1-15
16890992
Hum Psychopharmacol. 2005 Oct;20(7):501-9
16086364
J Neurophysiol. 2000 May;83(5):3133-9
10805707
Brain Res Bull. 2003 Jun 30;61(1):51-6
12788206
Behav Brain Res. 2006 Sep 25;172(2):272-7
16806521
J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2005 Aug;116(2):355-61
16083790
Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2008 Feb;16(2):125-35
17998307
Cereb Cortex. 2004 Jul;14(7):703-12
15084489