Methylphenidate effect in children with ADHD can be measured by an ecologically valid continuous performance test embedded in virtual reality.
BACKGROUND
Continuous performance tasks (CPTs) embedded in a virtual reality (VR) classroom environment have been shown to be a sensitive and user-friendly assessment tool to detect cognitive deficits related to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The aim of the current study was to compare the performance of children with ADHD on a VR-CPT while on and off treatment with methylphenidate (MPH) and to compare the VR-CPT to a currently used CPT, Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA).


METHODS
Twenty-seven children with ADHD underwent the VR-CPT, the same CPT without VR (no VR-CPT), and the TOVA, 1 hour after the ingestion of either placebo or 0.3 mg/kg MPH, in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design. Immediately following CPT, subjects described their subjective experiences on the Short Feedback Questionnaire.


RESULTS
MPH reduced omission errors to a greater extent on the VR-CPT compared to the no VR-CPT and the TOVA, and decreased other CPT measures on all types of CPT to a similar degree. Children rated the VR-CPT as more enjoyable compared to the other types of CPT.


CONCLUSIONS
It is concluded that the VR-CPT is a sensitive and user-friendly assessment tool in measuring the response to MPH in children with ADHD.
Pollak
Yehuda
Y
Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel. msyehu@huji.ac.il
Shomaly
Hanan Barhoum
HB
Weiss
Patrice L
PL
Rizzo
Albert A
AA
Gross-Tsur
Varda
V
D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008774:Methylphenidate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D014796:Visual Perception
D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D008774:Methylphenidate