Predicting Amphetamine Response in Hyperkinetic Children by Electronic Pupillography

Abstract

In 22 hyperkinetic children, change in extent of pupillary contraction as measured by electronic pupillography before and a half-hour after a test dose of 5 mg. d-amphetamine was correlated with behavioral improvement on chronic administration as independently rated by parents and clinician. The correlations with parents' ratings were highly significant. The findings were compatible with the hypothesis that the further a child's extent of light-reactive pupillary contraction before medication deviated from the normal mean in either direction, and the closer it approached the mean after medication, the more likely his behavior was to improve with medication.