Carol J. Berg

The Leyton Obsessional Inventory-Child Version.

The Leyton Obsessional Inventory for adults was modified for children and administered to 26 adolescents ( age 14.3 ± 2.1 years) meeting DSM-III criteria for obsessive compulsive disorder, 14 adolescents ( age 13.7 ± 1.7 years) having severe obsessive symptoms but who had received other primary psychiatric diagnoses, and 28 normal adolescent controls ( age 13.7 ± 1.9 years). The Leyton Obsessional Inventory-Child Version (LOI-CV) significantly differentiated obsessive patients from normal controls on total scores for obsessional symptoms as well as total scores for degree of resistance to the symptoms and interference with everyday life. Patients and psychiatric controls differed significantly on scores for resistance and interference. Test-retest reliability for patients was demonstrated and scores differentiating placebo and active drug treatment indicated further clinical validity. However, LOI-CV scores did not correlate significantly with other clinical measures of obsessive behavior (Obsessive Compulsive Rating Scale, Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale, NIMH Global and Obsessive Compulsive Scales) obtained at baseline.

Behavioral and Cognitive Effects of Caffeine in Boys and Adult Males

&NA; The behavioral and cognitive effects of single doses of caffeine (3 and 10 mg/kg) were studied using a double blind placebo‐controlled crossover design. Subjects were 19 prepubertal boys and 20 college age men. In general, children tended to show more objective effects of caffeine than did adults, with increased motor activity, increased speech rate, and decreased reaction time. Adults generally reported side effects following caffeine while children did not, and side effects were more prominent for adults with low habitual caffeine intake. Autonomic measures of arousal were similarly affected for both age groups. Caffeine had some effects that differed from those of amphetamine, indicating distinctive actions of the two stimulants.