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Biomedical subjects

D R Ismond

Publications and source records attributed to D R Ismond.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1987

Effects of sugar and aspartame on aggression and activity in children.

Habitual sugar consumption and behavior following challenge by sugar and aspartame were studied in 30 preschool boys. The 18 subjects whose parents considered them sugar reactive had more disruptive behavior problems at baseline than the other 12 subjects. Habitual sugar consumption correlated only with duration of aggression against property in alleged responders. Double-blind crossover challenges with aspartame, saccharin, sucrose, and glucose produced no significant effect on aggression or observers' ratings of behavior. Lower actometer counts followed the trials of aspartame, but the difference was not apparent to observers. It is unlikely that sugar and aspartame are clinically significant causes of disruptive behavior.

Aggression↗
PubMed1986

Treatment of childhood hyperactivity with desipramine: plasma drug concentration, cardiovascular effects, plasma and urinary catecholamine levels, and clinical response.

Twenty-nine boys with attention deficit disorder/hyperactivity were randomly assigned to receive desipramine (DMI; n = 17) or placebo (n = 12) for 14 days in a noncrossover, double-blind study. There was immediate behavioral improvement with DMI at day 3 that was sustained for 2 weeks; behavioral improvement did not correlate with plasma concentrations of DMI, hydroxy-DMI, or their sum at either days 3 or 14. There were no untoward side effects; there was a drug-induced increase in pulse and diastolic blood pressure. During drug therapy, the urinary excretion of norepinephrine, vanillymandelic acid, and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) was decreased at both days 3 and 14. The plasma MHPG level was decreased at days 3 and 14 and (standing) plasma NE levels increased at day 14. The decreases in both urinary and plasma MHPG levels showed significant correlations with behavioral improvement during the second week. These data corroborate previous findings on sympathomimetic effects of tricyclic antidepressants in children and support a noradrenergic mechanism in the mediation of drug effects on attention deficit disorder/hyperactivity.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1984

Behavioral effects of caffeine in children. Relationship between dietary choice and effects of caffeine challenge.

From a survey of 24-hour caffeine intake of 798 grade-school children (mean age, 10.3 years), 19 "high consumers" (reported intake of 500 mg/day or more) and a matched group of 19 "low consumers" were recruited for a double-blind, placebo-controlled, caffeine challenge study. Children received 5 mg/kg of caffeine twice a day or placebo for two weeks each, using a crossover design. While not receiving caffeine, high consumers had higher scores on an anxiety questionnaire and tended to have lower autonomic arousal (less frequent spontaneous skin conductance response and lower skin conductance level). While receiving caffeine, low consumers were perceived by their parents as more emotional, inattentive, and restless, while high consumers were not rated as changed. These differences cannot be attributed to tolerance, withdrawal, or subject selection, and suggest a possible physiological basis in children for dietary caffeine preference.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Auditory brainstem responses in pervasive developmental disorders.

Several studies have reported prolonged neural transmission times on auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) measured in autistic children, a finding which implicates CNS dysfunction at the level of the brainstem in autistic conditions. This study measured ABRs in 25 children and adults with pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs), including autism, and 25 age- and sex-matched normal controls. Subjects were carefully evaluated audiometrically and neurologically and artifact was controlled to produce highly reliable measures. Prolonged transmission times were seen in only one PDD subject and in one normal control, while shortened transmission times were seen in four PDD subjects. The majority of PDD subjects showed normal ABRs. Previous reports of a significant incidence of prolonged transmission times among autistic and autisticlike subjects, thus, were not replicated. Possible reasons for this discrepancy are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

A naturalistic assessment of the motor activity of hyperactive boys. I. Comparison with normal controls.

The motor activity of hyperactive and normal boys was studied in 12 age- and classroom-matched pairs. Activity was measured continuously for a one-week period with a portable solid-state monitor. Hyperactives exhibited generally higher levels of motor activity than normal controls regardless of the time of day, including during sleep and on weekends. In a situation-by-situation analysis, hyperactives were most consistently and significantly more active than the controls during structured school activities. Little evidence was found, however, to support the hypothesis that hyperactivity is simply an artifact of the structure and attentional demands of a given setting. Pervasive increases in simple motor behavior are a clear attribute of hyperactive behavior and distinguished hyperactives from controls as well as did a standardized measure of attention.

Attention↗
PubMed1983

A naturalistic assessment of the motor activity of hyperactive boys. II. Stimulant drug effects.

Twenty-four-hour motor activity was assessed in a naturalistic setting in 12 hyperactive boys for four weeks (672 consecutive hours). Dextroamphetamine, 15 mg/day, or placebo was administered on alternate weeks, using a double-blind ABAB design. When the boys received dextroamphetamine, motor activity was significantly decreased for about eight hours after drug administration. This decrease was followed by a period of slight but significant increases in activity ("rebound"). Dextroamphetamine decreased activity most strikingly during structured classroom activity; during physical education, however, there was a significant drug-induced increase in motor activity.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗