[P3-7] Atomoxetine Improves Motor Coordination in the Children with AD/HD
- A Preliminary Report -
[Backgrounds] Clinically, the children with AD/HD often have motor coordination dysfunction. The previous studies showed the high prevalence of the comorbidity, as 30~50%, and this frequent and specific condition has led to some new concepts, such as DAMP (Deficits in attention, motor control and perception) syndrome (Gillberg, 1992), DCD-Plus (Gibbs, 2007), or the distinct subtype of AD/HD (Fliers, 2009). It is reported that Methylphenidate (MPH) could improve motor functions in AD/HD. However, there is a little study on the effects of atomoxetine (ATX) on motor functions of AD/HD.
[Method] Children with AD/HD were treated with ATX, started with 0.5mg/kg/day. The motor coordination was assessed, using the Japanese version of M-ABC2, before treatment and one month after the maintenance dose. The total raw scores were converted to total standard scores and percentiles, using the original UK data, as the reference.
[Results] The total and “Aiming & Catching” were significantly improved by ATX. The score of “Balance” also improved, but not significantly. While, the changes of the scales for “Manual Dexterity” were small.
[Discussion] Bart, et al. (2010) studied the effects of MPH in in children with DAMP syndrome and found the significant improvement on the M-ABC scales. Noradrenergic neurons project form the locus ceruleus to whole brain system, including cerebellum, in which there is no dopaminergic innervation. This preliminary findings suggested that ATX might be effective to motor impairments in AD/HD, through the different mechanism from MPH.
[Acknowledgements]This study was supported, in part, by JSPS.
[Method] Children with AD/HD were treated with ATX, started with 0.5mg/kg/day. The motor coordination was assessed, using the Japanese version of M-ABC2, before treatment and one month after the maintenance dose. The total raw scores were converted to total standard scores and percentiles, using the original UK data, as the reference.
[Results] The total and “Aiming & Catching” were significantly improved by ATX. The score of “Balance” also improved, but not significantly. While, the changes of the scales for “Manual Dexterity” were small.
[Discussion] Bart, et al. (2010) studied the effects of MPH in in children with DAMP syndrome and found the significant improvement on the M-ABC scales. Noradrenergic neurons project form the locus ceruleus to whole brain system, including cerebellum, in which there is no dopaminergic innervation. This preliminary findings suggested that ATX might be effective to motor impairments in AD/HD, through the different mechanism from MPH.
[Acknowledgements]This study was supported, in part, by JSPS.