Study of Clonidine on Sleep Architecture in Children With Tourette's Syndrome (TS) and Comorbid ADHD
Status:
Unknown status
Trial end date:
2008-10-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
In the present study, we examine the question "Will day-time aggression in children improve
when their night-time sleep is treated with pharmacological intervention (i.e. clonidine)?"
There is considerable anecdotal evidence that clonidine may provide an effective alternative
to neuroleptics for treating aggression in children -- first by improving the overall quality
of their sleep, and second by providing a safer and more readily tolerated medication with
fewer side-effects and a greater probability of long-term compliance. This study uses a
double blind placebo controlled design to gather scientific evidence that will help elucidate
the mechanisms underlying this treatment effect and will help clarify the relationship
between sleep disorders and aggression in children. Our results are expected to help
physicians make informed treatment decisions regarding the use of clonidine to improve the
quality of sleep and possibly treat problems with aggression in their pediatric patients