The use of stimulant medication to treat neurocognitive deficits in patients with pediatric cancer, traumatic brain injury, and sickle cell disease: a review

Comorbid ADHD and Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease: Prevalence and Risk Factors

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic blood condition that places youth at increased risk for deficits in complex attention suggestive of increased risk for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). We used systematic screening to assess the prevalence of ADHD in a clinic-based sample of youth with SCD and explored factors related to ADHD. Caregivers of 107 children with SCD (ages 7-11 years) completed routine psychosocial screening which included inattentive symptoms of ADHD. Follow-up diagnostic procedures were completed for patients with elevated inattentive symptoms to assess for ADHD diagnoses. Biomedical and social-environmental variables were examined from the screening and medical records. Twenty-six percent of patients showed elevated inattentive symptoms with 13% meeting diagnostic criteria for ADHD diagnoses. Most children (75%) who met criteria for ADHD had not been previously diagnosed. Disease severity did not predict inattentive symptoms or ADHD diagnoses, though a measure of chronic inflammation was associated with ADHD. Family functioning was related to elevated inattentive symptoms but not ADHD diagnoses. Children with SCD show relatively high rates of ADHD with many cases not detected through routine care. Screening for ADHD as part of hematology care may be a feasible strategy to improve identification and access to intervention.

Barriers to the use of Methylphenidate in Pediatric Neuro-oncology Services

BACKGROUND

Survivors of childhood CNS tumors are at a significant risk of chronic and multifaceted neurocognitive late effects. Recent findings indicate the potential utility of methylphenidate in addressing neurocognitive and academic plateauing and improving quality-of-life outcomes in this clinical population. However, the prescription of methylphenidate in neuro-oncology services remains inconsistent.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the neurocognitive assessment and rehabilitative interventions (including the use of methylphenidate) offered to survivors of childhood CNS tumors within mainland UK.

METHOD

We used a semi-structured questionnaire to gather qualitative data from clinical psychologists and neuropsychologists within National Health Service pediatric neuro-oncology principal treatment centers (PTCs) during May 2018. Thematic analytical methods were used to explore themes within the collected data.

RESULTS

Eleven (58%) of the 19 PTCs returned the completed questionnaire. Respondents reported inadequate resource of psychology in many pediatric neuro-oncology PTCs, which limited the provision of methylphenidate to a restricted proportion of the patient group (i.e., those with the most profound neurocognitive difficulties). Respondents reported an interest in exploring the utility of methylphenidate in their patient group yet described a lack of appropriate evidence of its efficacy. In addition, respondents highlighted the need for the provision of accessible research summaries and treatment protocols addressing the use of methylphenidate.

CONCLUSION

We anticipate that national collaboration between clinicians and researchers working in the cancer survivorship field will support the advancement of interventions such as methylphenidate for the growing clinical population of survivors of childhood CNS tumors.

The influence of methylphenidate on sustained attention in paediatric acquired brain injury: a meta-analytical review

Impairment in sustained attention is a common consequence of childhood Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). Whilst methylphenidate provides promise in enhancing "attention" as a unitary construct, little work has explored its effectiveness upon individual attentional domains. The current systematic review and meta-analysis evaluates the utility of methylphenidate on sustained attentional performance across childhood ABI groups. Five databases (PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus & Cochrane Library) were searched for relevant articles from their inception to March 2022. A purpose-developed evaluation tool was used to assess each study's research quality (QuEST:MAP). Nine of the 1600 identified articles were included within this review (n = 259). Meta-analytical findings reported an overall significant benefit of methylphenidate on sustained attention in childhood ABI (g = -0.33, 95% CI: -0.62 to -0.04). Associated summary effect sizes were relatively small, particularly when adjusting for outlier cases. Subgroup analyses identified a significantly greater benefit of methylphenidate in clinical subgroups with comorbid ADHD diagnoses (p < .01). The current evidence base is characterized by small-scale clinical trials with variable research quality and low generalizability. Further robust research is needed to quantify methylphenidate utility upon individual attentional domains in larger and more representative ABI samples.

Effectively Supporting Youth with Chronic Illness in Schools: External Partnerships and Training Recommendations

Across Western countries, approximately 15% to 20% of school-aged children and adolescents have a health-related disorder, with incidence rates of childhood chronic health conditions (CHCs) increasing. This contribution comprehensively reviews disease-level, school-level, and systems-level issues related to effectively supporting children with CHCs succeed from both psychosocial and educational perspectives. This article also delineates training needs as they pertain to graduate preparation and/or professional development to equip school personnel to appropriately address students' needs. The article concludes with recommendations for evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies and potential avenues for interdisciplinary collaboration and models of coordinated care for these medically compromised youth.

Stimulant Therapy Utilization for Neurocognitive Deficits in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

CONTEXT

There are 3.8 million mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs) that occur each year in the United States. Many are left with prolonged life-altering neurocognitive deficits, including difficulties in attention, concentration, mental fatigue, and distractibility. With extensive data on the safety and efficacy of stimulant medications in treating attention deficit, concentration difficulties and distractibility seen with attention deficit disorder, it is not surprising that interest continues regarding the application of stimulant medications for the persistent neurocognitive deficits in some mTBIs.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

Studies were extracted from PubMed based on the topics of neurocognitive impairment, mTBI, stimulant use in mTBI, stimulants, and the association between attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and mTBI. The search criteria included a date range of 1999 to 2020 in the English language.

STUDY DESIGN

Literature review.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level 4.

RESULTS

Currently, there is very limited literature, and no guidelines for evaluating the use of stimulant medication for the treatment of prolonged neurocognitive impairments due to mTBI. However, a limited number of studies have demonstrated efficacy and safety of stimulants in the treatment of neurocognitive sequelae of mTBI in the adult, pediatric, military, and athletic populations.

CONCLUSION

There is limited evidence to suggest stimulant medication may be beneficial in patients with mTBI with persistent neurocognitive symtpoms. The decision to utilize stimulant medication for mTBI patients remains physician and patient preference dependent. Given the limited encouraging data currently available, physicians may consider stimulant medication in appropriate patients to facilitate the recovery of prolonged neurocognitive deficits, while remaining cognizant of potential adverse effects.

The effect of premorbid attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder on neuropsychological functioning in individuals with acute mild traumatic brain injuries

INTRODUCTION

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a frequent, yet undertreated condition that typically manifests with transient neurological and cognitive symptoms that resolve over the course of several weeks. In contrast, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that presents initially in childhood but often persists into adulthood. mTBI and ADHD include overlapping symptomatology, making it difficult for clinicians to disentangle the sequelae of each condition when they co-occur in the same individual. We hypothesized that neuropsychological tests would be sensitive to preexisting ADHD in inpatients with acute mTBIs.

METHOD

We retrospectively examined the medical charts of 100 inpatients, aged 18-40 years (96% Caucasian; 77% male) with mTBIs in an acute care setting, half of whom had self-reported the presence of premorbid ADHD, and half of whom were matched controls. We analyzed group differences across neuropsychological tests of attention, processing speed, and executive functions, examined the profile ratings of independent, blinded, board-certified neuropsychologists, and correlated cognitive performance with time from traumatic injury to testing.

RESULTS

Individuals with premorbid ADHD (a) performed significantly worse than their matched counterparts on several tests of attention, processing speed, and working memory, and (b) were significantly more likely to produce profiles later rated as impaired by independent, board-certified clinical neuropsychologists. In addition, time from traumatic injury to testing was found to be negatively correlated with neurocognitive performance.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings (a) argue for the utility of a brief assessment of premorbid ADHD in the acute care of individuals with mTBIs and (b) provide clinicians with a barometer for gauging the relative contributions of premorbid ADHD to neuropsychological impairments in the neurocognitive profiles of individuals with mTBIs. Reported effect sizes will assist clinicians in accurately weighing the impact of premorbid ADHD when interpreting such profiles.

Risk Factors for Attention and Behavioral Issues in Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease

BACKGROUND

Children with sickle cell disease have an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, intellectual disability, and specific learning disabilities. Little research has been done to characterize the sickle cell disease-related characteristics associated with neurodevelopmental disorders in the sickle cell disease population.

METHODS

This study was a retrospective chart review involving the outpatient records of 2 medical centers, Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins Hospital. Participants in the study included 59 children with sickle cell disease with a documented neurodevelopmental diagnosis, specifically attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, attention issues, behavioral issues, executive dysfunction, specific learning disabilities in math, reading, and reading comprehension, intellectual disabilities, developmental delay, fine motor disorders, language disorders, or autism spectrum disorders.

RESULTS

Children with sickle cell disease type hemoglobin S-β thalassemia plus had significantly higher odds of attention issues than children with sickle cell disease type hemoglobin SS (OR = 17.0, 95% CI = 1.99-145.00, P < .02). Children with sickle cell disease and a reported history of asthma had significantly higher odds of behavioral issues than children with sickle cell disease without a history of asthma, after adjustment for gender and sickle cell disease type (exact OR = 19.53, 95% CI = 1.16-1369.72, P < .04).

CONCLUSION

Children with sickle cell disease may have increased risk for certain neurodevelopmental diagnoses based on their disease characteristics and associated comorbidities. These preliminary study results should be explored in a larger database.

Stimulant use in patients with sturge-weber syndrome: safety and efficacy

BACKGROUND

Sturge-Weber syndrome is characterized by a facial port-wine birthmark, vascular eye abnormalities, and a leptomeningeal angioma. Attention and behavioral issues are common in Sturge-Weber syndrome. However, literature evidence for stimulant treatment is minimal. This study evaluates stimulant medication safety and efficacy in individuals with Sturge-Weber syndrome.

METHODS

The research database of the Hunter Nelson Sturge-Weber Center (n = 210 subjects in the database) was reviewed for stimulant use. Twelve patients (mean age 10.5 years, age range 4 to 21 years) on stimulants were seen between 2003 and 2012. A retrospective chart review obtained comorbid diagnoses, stimulant type and dosage, medication side effects, vital signs, and medication efficacy.

RESULTS

All 12 patients had brain involvement (unilateral, nine; bilateral, three). Additional comorbidities included epilepsy (twelve), hemiparesis (eight), headaches (eight), and vision deficits (six). Eight patients reported side effects, primarily appetite suppression (four) and headaches (three). There were no statistically significant changes in weight or blood pressure 6 months after medication initiation. Medication efficacy was subjectively reported in 11 patients. Seven patients remained on stimulants at their most recent follow-up visit.

CONCLUSIONS

This study preliminarily evaluates stimulant medication use in a small group of Sturge-Weber syndrome patients. Stimulants were tolerated and effective in most subjects. Side effects were mostly minor and medication did not negatively affect growth or vital signs. Stimulant medication may be a safe and effective intervention for Sturge-Weber syndrome children with attention issues/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed.