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  • Title: Naltrexone in autistic children: behavioral symptoms and attentional learning.
    Author: Campbell M, Anderson LT, Small AM, Adams P, Gonzalez NM, Ernst M.
    Journal: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry; 1993 Nov; 32(6):1283-91. PubMed ID: 8282676.
    Abstract:
    OBJECTIVE: To assess critically the short-term efficacy and safety of naltrexone in autistic children and its effects on discrimination learning in the laboratory. METHOD: A parallel group design was employed. After a 2-week placebo baseline period, children were randomly assigned either to naltrexone or to placebo for a period of 3 weeks followed by a one-week posttreatment placebo period. Multiple raters and rating scales were employed in a variety of conditions. Forty-one children, all inpatients, ages 2.9 to 7.8 years, completed the study. Naltrexone reduced hyperactivity and had no effect on discrimination learning in the laboratory. There was a suggestion that it had a beneficial effect on decreasing self-injurious behavior. Untoward effects were mild and transient. CONCLUSION: In the present study, naltrexone significantly reduced only hyperactivity, and no serious untoward effects were observed. The effectiveness of naltrexone in the treatment of autism and self-injurious behavior requires additional assessment in a sample of children with moderate to severe self-injurious behavior.
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