The NYU Child Study Center today announced that its research director, F. Xavier Castellanos, M.D., was presented with the Blanche F. Ittleson award by the American Psychiatric Association on Monday evening in Toronto. The award is widely regarded as the most prestigious award in child psychiatric research.

Dr. Castellanos' landmark research using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) definitively proved quantitative anatomic brain abnormalities in children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In its praise of Dr. Castellanos, the American Psychiatric Association wrote that his findings "sidelined assertions that structural brain abnormalities seen in ADHD might be drug induced."

Previously, many scientists contended that the front part of the brain is altered in ADHD children, but Dr. Castellanos demonstrated differences in several regions of the brain. In addition, the brains of ADHD children were 3 percent smaller in volume compared with normal children. The brain differences among ADHD children who took medication, such as Ritalin, and those who were not treated with medication were similar, evincing that brain differences are not the result of medication.

The Blanche F. Ittleson Research Award is given by the American Psychiatric Association to a psychiatrist or a group of psychiatric investigators for published results of research in child psychiatry. This research has led to an important advance in promoting the mental health of children. The award was presented to Dr. Castellanos Monday evening at the American Psychiatric Association's annual meeting in Toronto.

"Dr. Castellanos is one of the most eminent child and adolescent psychiatrists in America, standing at the forefront of brain imaging, neuroscience and genetics," said Harold S. Koplewicz, M.D., director of the NYU Child Study Center. "He is not only invested in increasing our knowledge base, but also in changing the way clinicians practice and how the public perceives child psychiatric illness."

Dr. Castellanos was given the award on the basis of his study Developmental Trajectories of Brain Volume Abnormalities in Children and Adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) which was published in 2002 in The Journal of the American Medical Association. The study has been the basis for multiple lines of subsequent research, by numerous groups around the world, including the Institute for Pediatric Neuroscience that Dr. Castellanos founded at the NYU Child Study Center.

"I am honored to be the recipient of the 2006 Blanche F. Ittleson award," said Dr. Castellanos. "I am confident that the combination of neuroimaging, genetics and neuroscience will lead to important gains in our field's understanding of the causes of child and adolescent mental illness in the near future."

For a high-resolution picture of Dr. Castellanos, please email press@aboutourkids.org

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NYU Child Study Center

The NYU Child Study Center is dedicated to the understanding, prevention and treatment of child and adolescent mental health problems. The Center offers expert psychiatric services for children and families with emphasis on early diagnosis and intervention. The Center's mission is to bridge the gap between science and practice, integrating the finest research with patient care and state-of-the- art training, utilizing the resources of the New York University School of Medicine. The NYU Child Study Center offers a variety of mental health services for children, adolescents, young adults and their families. Child and Family Associates is the clinical arm of the NYU Child Study Center and the point of entry for all clinical programs. Our goal is to bring together the most research-supported evaluations and treatments with an individualized and family centered approach.

For additional information, contact the NYU Child Study Center at 212-263-3652 or visit http://www.AboutOurKids.org.

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