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Deanol and methylphenidate in minimal brain dysfunction
Author(s) -
Lewis James A.,
Young Rosemarie
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
clinical pharmacology and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.941
H-Index - 188
eISSN - 1532-6535
pISSN - 0009-9236
DOI - 10.1002/cpt1975175534
Subject(s) - methylphenidate , anticholinergic , placebo , acetylcholine , anesthesia , medicine , psychology , psychiatry , attention deficit hyperactivity disorder , pediatrics , pharmacology , alternative medicine , pathology
Deanol, a putative acetylcholine precursor, has been used as a treatment for childhood hyperactivity for years. Efficacy has not been satisfactorily established, however. Seventy‐four children referred for problems with learning, including many with hyperactivity, were screened for neurological or psychiatric illness, then given deanol, methylphenidate, or placebo in a double‐blind fashion for 3 months. Maintenance dose for methylphenidate was 40 mg daily; for deanol, 500 mg. Behavior rating forms, reaction time, and a series of standard psychometric tests were given before and after treatment. Both drugs showed significant improvement on a number of tests; the pattern and degree of change differed slightly for the two. In this paradigm, deanol thus appeared to improve performance in children with learning and behavior disorders. The mechanism of action remains speculative; proof that deanol increases acetylcholine is scanty, and there is a theoretical basis for actually assuming an anticholinergic effect. Further clinical studies on deanol are indicated.