STX209 (Arbaclofen) for Autism Spectrum Disorders: An 8-Week Open-Label Study

STX209 (arbaclofen), a selective GABA-B agonist, is hypothesized to modulate the balance of excitatory to inhibitory neurotransmission, and has shown preliminary evidence of benefit in fragile X syndrome. We evaluated its safety, tolerability, and efficacy in non-syndromic autism spectrum disorders, in an 8-week open-label trial enrolling 32 children and adolescents with either Autistic Disorder or Pervasive Developmental Disorder—Not Otherwise Specified, and a score ≥17 on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC)—Irritability subscale. STX209 was generally well-tolerated. The most common adverse events were agitation and irritability, which typically resolved without dose changes, and were often felt to represent spontaneous variation in underlying symptoms. Improvements were observed on several outcome measures in this exploratory trial, including the ABC-Irritability (the primary endpoint) and the Lethargy/Social Withdrawal subscales, the Social Responsiveness Scale, the CY-BOCS-PDD, and clinical global impression scales. Placebo-controlled study of STX209 is warranted.Seaside Therapeutics Inc

Moderators, Mediators, and Other Predictors of Risperidone Response in Children with Autistic Disorder and Irritability

Objective/Background: The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Research Units on Pediatric Psychopharmacology (RUPP) Autism Network found an effect size of d = 1.2 in favor of risperidone on the main outcome measure in an 8-week double-blind, placebo-controlled trial for irritabilityin autistic disorder. This paper explores moderators and mediators of this effect. Method: Intention-to-treat (ITT) analyses were conducted with suspected moderators and mediators entered into the regression equations. MacArthur Foundation Network subgroup guidelines were followed in the evaluation of the results. Results: Only baseline severity moderated treatment response: Higher severity showed greater improvement for risperidone but not for placebo. Weight gain mediated treatment response negatively: Those who gained more weight improved less with risperidone and more with placebo. Compliance correlated with outcome for risperidone but not placebo. Higher dose correlated with worse outcome for placebo, but not risperidone. Of nonspecific predictors, parent education, family income, and low baseline prolactin positively predicted outcome; anxiety, bipolar symptoms, oppositional-defiant symptoms, stereotypy, and hyperactivity negatively predicted outcome. Risperidone moderated the effect of change in 5'-nucleotidase, a marker of zinc status, for which decrease was associated with improvement only with risperidone, not with placebo. Conclusion: The benefit–risk ratio of risperidone is better with greater symptom severity. Risperidone can be individually titrated to optimal dosage for excellent response in the majority of children. Weight gain is not necessary for risperidone benefit and may even detract from it. Socioeconomic advantage, low prolactin, and absence of co-morbid problems non-specifically predict better outcome. Mineral interactions with risperidone deserve further study

Baseline Factors Predicting Placebo Response to Treatment in Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Multisite Randomized Clinical Trial

The finding of factors that differentially predict the likelihood of response to placebo over that of an active drug could have a significant impact on study design in this population

Lack of Efficacy of Citalopram in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders and High Levels of Repetitive Behavior: Citalopram Ineffective in Children With Autism

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are widely prescribed for children with autism spectrum disorders

Predictors of Treatment Attrition Among an Outpatient Clinic Sample of Youths With Clinically Significant Anxiety

Predictors of treatment attrition were examined in a sample of 197 youths (ages 5–18) with clinically-significant symptoms of anxiety seeking psychotherapy services at a community-based outpatient mental health clinic (OMHC). Two related definitions of attrition were considered: (a) clinician-rated dropout (CR), and (b) CR dropout qualified by phase of treatment (pre, early, or late phases) (PT). Across both definitions, rates of attrition in the OMHC sample were higher than those for anxious youths treated in randomized controlled trials, and comorbid depression symptoms predicted dropout, with a higher rate of depressed youths dropping out later in treatment (after 6 sessions). Using the PT definition, minority status also predicted attrition, with more African-American youths lost pre-treatment. Other demographic (age, gender, single parent status) and clinical (externalizing symptoms, anxiety severity) characteristics were not significantly associated with attrition using either definition. Implications for services for anxious youths in public service settings are discussed. Results highlight the important role of comorbid depression in the treatment of anxious youth and the potential value of targeted retention efforts for ethnic minority families early in the treatment process

Lack of Efficacy of Citalopram in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders and High Levels of Repetitive Behavior: Citalopram Ineffective in Children With Autism

Context—Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are widely prescribed for children with autism spectrum disorders. Objectives—To determine the efficacy and safety of citalopram hydrobromide therapy for repetitive behavior in children with autism spectrum disorders. Design—National Institutes of Health–sponsored randomized controlled trial. Setting—Six academic centers, including Mount Sinai School of Medicine, North Shore–Long Island Jewish Health System, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of California at Los Angeles, Yale University, and Dartmouth Medical School. Participants—One hundred forty-nine volunteers 5 to 17 years old (mean [SD] age, 9.4 [3.1] years) were randomized to receive citalopram (n = 73) or placebo (n = 76). Participants had autistic spectrum disorders, Asperger disorder, or pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified; had illness severity ratings of at least moderate on the Clinical Global Impressions, Severity of Illness Scale; and scored at least moderate on compulsive behaviors measured with the Children\u27s Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scales modified for pervasive developmental disorders. Interventions—Twelve weeks of citalopram hydrobromide (10 mg/5 mL) or placebo. The mean (SD) maximum dosage of citalopram hydrobromide was 16.5 (6.5) mg/d by mouth (maximum, 20 mg/d). Main Outcome Measures—Positive response was defined by a score of much improved or very much improved on the Clinical Global Impressions, Improvement subscale. An important secondary outcome was the score on the Children\u27s Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scales modified for pervasive developmental disorders. Adverse events were systematically elicited using the Safety Monitoring Uniform Report Form. Results—There was no significant difference in the rate of positive response on the Clinical Global Impressions, Improvement subscale between the citalopram-treated group (32.9%) and the placebo group (34.2%) (relative risk, 0.96; 95% confidence interval, 0.61-1.51; P\u3e .99). There was no difference in score reduction on the Children\u27s Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scales modified for pervasive developmental disorders from baseline (mean [SD], −2.0 [3.4] points for the citalopram-treated group and −1.9 [2.5] points for the placebo group; P=.81). Citalopram usewas significantly more likely to be associated with adverse events, particularly increased energy level, impulsiveness, decreased concentration, hyperactivity, stereotypy, diarrhea, insomnia, and dry skin or pruritus. Conclusion—Results of this trial do not support the use of citalopram for the treatment of repetitive behavior in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. STAART Psychopharmacology Network Group Members: Rosemary Affeldt, MSW, LICSW; Denisse Ambler, MD; George Anderson, PhD; May-Lynn Andresen, RN; Grace Baranek, PhD; Jennifer Bartz, PhD; Karen Bearss, PhD; Terrence C. Bethea, MD; Jennifer Cowen, MA; Pegeen Cronin, PhD; Margaret DeRamus, BA; Robert Dimino, PhD; Tywanda Ellison, PhD; Nicole Feirsen, BA; Lilia Fenelon, BA; Anita Gordon, MSW; Danielle Halpern, PhD; Marisa B. Houser, MS; Cathy Jones, BA; Lawrence Kaplan, MD; Paul Kartheiser, MD; Robyn Keske, MSW, MPH; Young Shin Kim, MD, PhD; Kathy Koenig, MSN; Erin Kustan, BA; Kathleen Lapp, MD; Arthur Maerlender, PhD; Brenna McDonald, PsyD, MBA; Debra McQuade, PhD, MD; Shana Nichols, PhD; Roumen Nikolov, MD; Maryellen Pachler, MSN; Emily Quinn, MA; Idania Ramirez, MPH; Jennifer Richards, MD; Peter Robichaux, BA; Fay Robinson, BA; Jade Rusoff, BA; Bhavik Shah, MD; Latha Soorya, PhD; Linda Spritzer, BA; Erika Swanson, BA; Tara Tripp, MA; John Vidaver, MA; Shulamit Waldoks, BA; A. Ting Wang, PhD; Stacey Wasserman, MD; and Emily Williams, MEd