Methylphenidate dose-response behavioral and neurophysiological study of the ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens in adolescent rats.

The psychostimulant methylphenidate (MPD) is the most common medication used in treating ADHD in children. Studies have shown an increasing prevalence among adolescents without ADHD to take MPD as a cognitive booster and recreational drug, even though it is a Schedule II drug and has a high potential for abuse. The objective of this study is to explore if there is an association between the animals' behavioral and neurophysiological responses to acute and/or chronic methylphenidate exposure within the ventral tegmental area and the nucleus accumbens, and to compare how these two brain structures fire in response to methylphenidate.

Locus coeruleus neuronal activity correlates with behavioral response to acute and chronic doses of methylphenidate (Ritalin) in adolescent rats.

The objective of this study is to gain insight into the behavioral and neuronal changes induced by acute and chronic methylphenidate (MPD) administration. Specifically, there is limited knowledge of the effects of MPD on the locus coeruleus (LC), the main site of norepinephrine synthesis in the brain. In this study, LC neuronal firing rate was recorded simultaneously with locomotor activity in freely moving adolescent rats.

Comparison of the VTA and LC response to methylphenidate: a concomitant behavioral and neuronal study of adolescent male rats.

Methylphenidate (MPD), also known as Ritalin, is a psychostimulant used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. However, it is increasingly being misused by normal adolescents for recreation and academic advantage. Therefore, it is important to elucidate the behavioral and neurophysiological effects of MPD in normal subjects.

Morphine administration and abrupt cessation alter the behavioral diurnal activity pattern.

In mammals, there is an underlying mechanism that dictates the organism's biological functions and daily activity schedule, known as circadian rhythms, which play a major role in maintaining steady metabolism, homeostasis, and immunity. Limited research has been done investigating the effects of continuous opiate administration on the circadian rhythm activity pattern. A change in circadian activity pattern is suggested as an experimental model to demonstrate long-term effect of the drug.

Interferon modulates central nervous system function.

The interferons (IFNs) are an endogenous pleiotropic family of cytokines that perform fundamental physiological functions as well as protecting host organisms from disease and in maintaining homeostasis. This review covers the effects of endogenous IFN on the nervous system. It starts with the description of its receptors, followed how it modulate neuronal activity, mood, sleep, temperature, the endocrine system, the opioid system and how it regulate food consumption and the immune system.