ArticleJournal of neuro-oncology2025
The utility of long-term methylphenidate in preserving intellectual development in survivors of childhood brain tumour.
Article in Journal of neuro-oncology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundSurvivors of childhood brain tumour face significant neurocognitive late effects, including impairment in processing speed and attention. Deficits to these core cognitive domains contribute to the plateauing of age-appropriate intellectual development as the child matures. While short-term studies demonstrate the utility of methylphenidate in enhancing processing speed and attention during early recovery, its longer-term role in sustaining intellectual development remains underexplored.
methodsThe current study examined the long-term effects of methylphenidate on intellectual development in 23 survivors of childhood brain tumour, matched on multiple clinical and demographic variables against 23 controls. Intellectual assessments were conducted at baseline and after 12 months of treatment. Statistical analyses evaluated the degree of change in intellectual trajectories between groups over time.
resultsBayesian hierarchical modelling showed distinct intellectual trajectories between groups, with consistent declines in the control group. Treatment with methylphenidate was associated with the preservation of age-appropriate intellectual development, with the highest posterior probability of treatment-related benefit to Fluid Reasoning (0.97), and strong-to-moderate evidence of benefits to Verbal Comprehension (0.92), Working Memory (0.91), and Processing Speed (0.84). Frequentist analyses supported these findings, demonstrating significant preservation of Fluid Reasoning over time (t = 2.14, p = 0.04). The use of chemotherapy was associated with a significant decline in Fluid Reasoning across the entire dataset; this effect was only sustained in the control group (β = - 18.6, p = 0.03).
conclusionThese findings highlight the long-term rehabilitative potential of methylphenidate and suggest its wider adoption could support care for survivors at risk of intellectual plateau.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.