The Influences of Methylphenidate on Heart Rate and Behavioral Measures of Attention in Hyperactive Children.

The Influences of Methylphenidate on Heart Rate and Behavioral Measures of Attention in Hyperactive Children. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1975, 46, 727-733. Reaction-time performance and heart-rate responses associated with attention were used to assess the hyperactive child's attentional deficit and his response to methylphenidate. Attentional deficits shown by long response latencies were reflected in heart-rate responses theoretically incompatible with sustained attention. Subjects exhibiting the greatest attentional deficit displayed the most favorable response to methylphenidate in both reaction-time performance and physiological measures. However, subjects who showed the greatest improvement in social behavior were those who showed the least improvement in reaction-time performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]