Effects of methylphenidate (ritalin) on paired-associate learning and porteus maze performance in emotionally disturbed children.

The stimulant drug methylphenidate was administered in a double-blind, placebo controlled study over a 10-day period to 81 children in 2 institutions. The children were deprived or emotionally disturbed, but none was known to be psychotic, brain damaged, or mentally retarded. Following tests, it was found that 2 children's anxiety scales and an impulsivity scale were unrelated to learning, and individual differences on these scales did not appear to be related to improvement on the drug. There was some indication that the greatest improvement on the mazes occurred for the children with lowest IQ. The results were interpreted as reflecting increased delay of impulsive discharge. Further research on the role of attention mechanisms in response to this drug is suggested.