The Influence of Sertraline on Attention and Verbal Memory in Children and Adolescents with Anxiety Disorders Thomas Günther M.A., 1 Kristian Holtkamp M.D., 1 Jellemer Jolles Ph.D., 2 Beate Herpertz-Dahlmann M.D., 1 and Kerstin Konrad Ph.D. 1 SUMMARY This study investigated the cognitive side effects of a 6-week course of sertraline treatment on verbal memory and attention in children and adolescents. Children with various anxiety disorders (social phobia, generalized and separation anxiety disorder; n = 28), between 8 and 17 years of age, received a standardized, computerized neuropsychological assessment before treatment and another 6 weeks after treatment onset with sertraline (daily dose range be- tween 25 and 100 mg). The patient group was compared to healthy controls (n = 28), who were matched for age and IQ and were also tested twice over a 6-week period. Sertraline did not have any negative effects on attentional performance (p > 0.05) but did increase response speed in a divided attention paradigm (p = 0.02). By contrast, performance of the interference part of a verbal memory task decreased (p = 0.05). The described results also remained stable over a 12-week period after treatment onset. Thus, the cognitive side effects of sertraline seemed to differ slightly between pediatric patients and those described in adult patient groups, should, therefore, be carefully assessed. 608 JOURNAL OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY Volume 15, Number 4, 2005 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Pp. 608–618 INTRODUCTION S ELECTIVE SEROTONIN REUPTAKE INHIBITORS (SSRIS) have become the second-most prescribed psychotropic agents and represent an important therapeutic modality in the treatment of child- hood psychiatric disorders (Jensen et al. 1999). Prescription rates are not only increasing among late adolescents but also among children be- tween 10 and 14 years of age (Zito et al. 2002). However, the adverse effects of these drugs are poorly investigated in children and adolescents. Very recently, serious concerns arose concern- ing the safety of SSRI treatment in this age group owing to an increased risk of suicidal and self-harming thoughts during SSRI treat- ment (Roth et al. 2004). Behavioral side effects include motor restlessness and behavioral dis- inhibition (Damsa et al. 2004). The neuropsy- chological side effects of SSRI have never been systematically assessed in childhood psychiatric disorders, although animal and human studies indicate that these drugs may influence cogni- tive performance (Buhot et al. 2000). Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) selectively inhibit 5-HT reuptake into the presynaptic ter- 1 Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Aachen University, Aachen, Germany. 2 Maastricht Brain & Behaviour Institute and Department of Psychiatry & Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands. This research was funded by the Interdisciplinary Center of Clinical Research Aachen (IZKF).