Central nervous system stimulants as symptomatic treatments for AIDS-related neuropsychiatric impairment.

Seven patients with AIDS-related cognitive and emotional deficits had neuropsychologic testing and then were treated with methylphenidate or dextroamphetamine in individualized doses. Three patients showed marked functional improvement and 5 of the 7 became more spontaneous, reactive, and animated. Additional neuropsychologic testing showed statistically significant improvement in a subset of tests; however, scores did not return to baseline in tests done after the treatment was discontinued for 1-3 days.