Faculty Bibliography

CONTEXT: Data from a previous prospective study of lobar volumes in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are reexamined using a measure of cortical thickness. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether regional differences in cortical thickness or cortical changes across time characterize ADHD and predict or reflect its clinical outcome. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Longitudinal study of 163 children with ADHD (mean age at entry, 8.9 years) and 166 controls recruited mainly from a local community in Maryland. Participants were assessed with magnetic resonance imaging. Ninety-seven patients with ADHD (60%) had 2 or more images and baseline and follow-up clinical evaluations (mean follow-up, 5.7 years). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cortical thickness across the cerebrum. Patients with ADHD were divided into better and worse outcome groups on the basis of a mean split in scores on the Children's Global Assessment Scale and persistence/remission of DSM-IV-defined ADHD. RESULTS: Children with ADHD had global thinning of the cortex (mean reduction, -0.09 mm; P=.02), most prominently in the medial and superior prefrontal and precentral regions. Children with worse clinical outcome had a thinner left medial prefrontal cortex at baseline than the better outcome group (-0.38 mm; P=.003) and controls (-0.25 mm; P=.002). Cortical thickness developmental trajectories did not differ significantly between the ADHD and control groups throughout except in the right parietal cortex, where trajectories converged. This normalization of cortical thickness occurred only in the better outcome group. CONCLUSIONS: Children with ADHD show relative cortical thinning in regions important for attentional control. Children with a worse outcome have 'fixed' thinning of the left medial prefrontal cortex, which may compromise the anterior attentional network and encumber clinical improvement. Right parietal cortex thickness normalization in patients with a better outcome may represent compensatory cortical change

OBJECTIVE: To examine the test-retest reliability of a new interviewer-based psychiatric diagnostic measure (the Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment) for use with parents of preschoolers aged 2 to 5 years. METHOD: A total of 1,073 parents of children attending a large pediatric clinic completed the Child Behavior Checklist 1 1/2-5. For 18 months, 193 parents of high scorers and 114 parents of low scorers were interviewed on two occasions an average of 11 days apart. RESULTS: Estimates of diagnostic reliability were very similar to those obtained from interviews with parents of older children and adults, with kappas ranging from 0.36 to 0.79. Test-retest intraclass correlations for DSM-IV syndrome scale scores ranged from 0.56 to 0.89. There were no significant differences in reliability by age, sex, or race (African American versus non-African American). CONCLUSIONS: The Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment provides a reasonably reliable standardized measure of DSM-IV psychiatric symptoms and disorders in preschoolers for use in both research and clinical service evaluations of preschoolers as young as 2 years old.

Anxiety disorders are relatively common in childhood. Studies employing cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in adults suffering from this group of illnesses have laid the ground work for their application in youths. This article will delineate the principle components of CBT along with recent advances in its uses. A review of well-controlled studies of different anxiety disorders in youths will be provided. (journal abstract)

OBJECTIVE: Since the 1980s, there has been an increase in the frequency with which children and adolescents with psychiatric symptoms present to emergency departments (ED). Recent trend data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey database suggest that the increase in ED use for mental health concerns is not driven by a rise in the frequency of medically serious suicide attempts but, rather, nonurgent diagnoses. The current paper is a systematic review of the existing research literature on child and adolescent psychiatric emergencies among nonsuicidal samples to assess the type and quality of the data reported. This is a first step in developing a profile of which children, in the absence of medically serious suicide attempt, seek psychiatric care in EDs. METHODS: Literature searches were conducted through PsycINFO, MEDLINE, and PubMed databases for the years 1990 through 2004. Twelve studies were identified as meeting inclusion criteria and were reviewed for general study information (ie, bibliography); quality indicators; study characteristics (ie, data source, location of study, method of subject recruitment, and study inclusion/exclusion criteria); subject characteristics, and outcome measures and results (specific outcome assessed, types of data analyses). RESULTS: Most of the studies were cross-sectional, retrospective chart reviews, with one data source. Only one study reported on all variables of interest, and there was no consistency in data collection or reporting across studies. CONCLUSIONS: Although there has been a documented increase in children and adolescents seeking care for psychiatric emergencies in EDs, a clear and basic understanding of who these patients are cannot be determined from existing published research reports. Significant inconsistencies in data collection and reporting make recommendations for treatment planning and service delivery challenging. A research agenda in the field of child and adolescent psychiatric emergencies is proposed.

Cognitive outcomes at age 11 of 131 Romanian adoptees from institutions were compared with 50 U.K. adopted children. Key findings were of both continuity and change: (1) marked adverse effects persisted at age 11 for many of the children who were over 6 months on arrival; (2) there was some catch-up between ages 6 and 11 for the bottom 15%; (3) there was a decrease of 15 points for those over 6 months on arrival, but no differentiation within the 6-42-month range; (4) there was marked heterogeneity of outcome but this was not associated with the educational background of the adoptive families. The findings draw attention to the psychological as well as physical risks of institutional deprivation

This study examined the associations between physical and psychological proximity to terrorist attacks and post-traumatic symptoms (PTS), depressive symptoms, and alcohol use among Israeli youth. Self-administered questionnaires were completed under anonymous conditions by 1,150 high and junior high school students (51.3% boys and 48.7% girls) in a town in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. Standardized, validated scales were used to measure psychological symptoms and alcohol use. High levels of exposure to terrorism were reported. Physical and psychological proximity to terrorist attacks were associated with more PTS symptoms and alcohol consumption. Physical proximity was also associated with symptoms of depression. The implications of terror-associated early drinking for later alcohol problems should be explored.

BACKGROUND: A number of reports have shown that patients with panic disorder have greater anxiety responses to the inhalation of enhanced carbon dioxide mixtures than do well controls or patients with other psychiatric illnesses. Three earlier studies have shown that well individuals who have first-degree relatives with panic disorder also experience more anxiety following CO(2) than do controls without such a family history. The following was undertaken to confirm and extend these findings. METHODS: Well subjects at high risk for panic disorder (HR-P, n=132) had a first-degree family member with treated panic disorder but no personal history of panic attacks. Low-risk subjects (LR-C, n=85) had no such family history. All underwent a diagnostic interview with the SADS-LA and completed a battery of self-rating scales before undergoing two CO(2) challenges. One involved a single vital capacity breath of air and then of 35% CO(2) and the other 5 min of air and then 5 min of 5% CO(2). RESULTS: In comparison to the LR-C group, HR-P subjects had higher scores on various self-ratings of anxiety and depression and were more likely to have a lifetime diagnosis of MDD or of an anxiety disorder. NEO neuroticism and a history of MDD were the most important of these measures in separating the high-risk and low-risk groups. As predicted, the HR-P subjects experienced more anxiety following 35% CO(2) exposure. The removal of individuals with lifetime diagnosis of MDD or of an anxiety disorder eliminated the relationship of neuroticism to CO(2)-induced anxiety and strengthened the relationship between the CO(2) response and a family history of panic disorder. Five minutes of 5% CO(2) produced much lower increases in anxiety than did the 35% exposure, but a dose by group interaction suggested that increasing exposure increased anxiety preferentially in the high-risk subjects. CONCLUSION: The results confirm earlier findings in indicating that a family history of panic disorder conveys a liability to experience anxiety with CO(2) exposure. They also suggest that this anxiety may reflect several discrete diatheses of relevance to the heritability of panic disorder

Autistic disorder and the group of related conditions defined as pervasive developmental disorders are chronic neurodevelopmental disorders starting in early childhood and affecting a significant number of children and families. Although the causes and much of the pathophysiology of the disorder remain unknown, in recent years a number of available medication treatments have been identified as holding promise in alleviating some of the most disabling maladaptive behaviors, associated with pervasive developmental disorders. However these treatments do not address the core symptoms of the disease and oftentimes their side effects outweigh their benefits. Therefore there is substantial need for new medications that are safer and more effective in addressing the behavior symptoms of autism. The aim of this review is to highlight the available current pharmacotherapies and those emerging treatments with potential to enhance the treatment options of patients with pervasive developmental disorders

Young children in foster care have often experienced inadequate early care and separations from caregivers. Preclinical studies suggest that early inadequate care and separations are associated with long-term changes in regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. In this study, the daytime pattern of cortisol production was examined among 55 young children who had been placed into foster care and 104 children who had not. Saliva samples were taken at wake-up, in the afternoon, and bedtime for 2 days. Average salivary cortisol values for each time of day were computed. A group (foster vs. comparison) time (morning, afternoon, night) interaction emerged, reflecting less decline in levels across the day for foster than comparison children. Daytime patterns were categorized as typical, low, or high. Children who had been in foster care had higher incidences of atypical patterns of cortisol production than children who had not. These differences suggest that conditions associated with foster care interfere with children's ability to regulate neuroendocrine functioning

Depriving healthy subjects of sleep has been shown to acutely increase blood pressure and sympathetic nervous system activity. Prolonged short sleep durations could lead to hypertension through extended exposure to raised 24-hour blood pressure and heart rate, elevated sympathetic nervous system activity, and increased salt retention. Such forces could lead to structural adaptations and the entrainment of the cardiovascular system to operate at an elevated pressure equilibrium. Sleep disorders are associated with cardiovascular disease, but we are not aware of any published prospective population studies that have shown a link between short sleep duration and the incidence of hypertension in subjects without apparent sleep disorders. We assessed whether short sleep duration would increase the risk for hypertension incidence by conducting longitudinal analyses of the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (n=4810) using Cox proportional hazards models and controlling for covariates. Hypertension incidence (n=647) was determined by physician diagnosis, hospital record, or cause of death over the 8- to 10-year follow-up period between 1982 and 1992. Sleep durations of < or =5 hours per night were associated with a significantly increased risk of hypertension (hazard ratio, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.58 to 2.79) in subjects between the ages of 32 and 59 years, and controlling for the potential confounding variables only partially attenuated this relationship. The increased risk continued to be significant after controlling for obesity and diabetes, which was consistent with the hypothesis that these variables would act as partial mediators. Short sleep duration could, therefore, be a significant risk factor for hypertension