Hyperkinetic reaction

In the 1960s, Ritalin was prescribed for children identified as having personality-driven symptoms—the condition first called MBD (minimal brain dysfunction) and hyperkinetic reaction. Having excessive motor activity was a prerequisite to fit into this category. As a result, many children were not considered eligible for Ritalin. 

Similar to caffeine, theophylline produces improvement on sustained attention tasks (Bryant et al. 1998), but caffeine appears to be a more potent CNS stimulant (Yu et al. 1991). Caffeine improves the accuracy of reaction time tasks in hyperkinetic children (Reichard and Elder 1977). 

In an attempt to shed light on the mechanism by which neuroleptics induce extrapyramidal reactions, Bishnoi et al. (2007) chronically administered haloperidol (1 mg/kg) and chlorpromazine (5 mg/kg) to rats, resulting in a time-dependent increase in orofacial hyperkinetic movements. They found a corresponding time-dependent decrease in extracellular levels of norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin in various cortical and subcortical regions of the brain. 

David TJ Reactions to dietary tartrazine. Arch Dis Child 62 119-122, 1987 Egger], Graham P], Carter CM, et al Controlled trial of oligoantigenic treatment in the hyperkinetic syndrome. Lancet 1 540-545,1985 Eich WF, Thim EB, Crowder JE Effect of the Feingold Kaiser Permanente diet in minimal brain dysfunction. Journal of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama 49 16-20, 1979... 

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