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methylphenidate

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·September 27, 2022·3 min read

Mechanisms of Psychostimulants on Attention and Learning Revealed

Psychostimulants increase dopamine levels, enhancing task-relevant cortical signals by acting on the striatum and the difference in dopamine synthesis capacity in the striatum explains the variability in the drugs' cognitive effects.

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Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 29, 2022·5 min read

How Ritalin Sharpens Attention

Study sheds new light on the neurobiological mechanisms that occur, allowing the ADHD drug Ritalin to improve attention and report the drug could have benefits for a range of cognitive changes associated with aging.

This shows the mPFC and striatum highligted on a brain scan

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·January 17, 2020·5 min read

Rich rewards: ADHD medication’s effect on the brain

Methylphenidate may boost norepinephrine levels in the prefrontal cortex, which in turn regulates dopaminergic neurons firing in the striatum, when a reward is delivered. The study sheds new light on how medications for ADHD affect the reward system in the brain.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 13, 2019·4 min read

ADHD medication may affect brain development in children

Methylphenidate, a drug given to help treat ADHD, affects specific tract in white matter in young boys. The effects are age dependant as the changes were not observed in adults who use the treatment. Researchers say the drug should only be given to children if they are significantly affected by ADHD in their daily lives.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·February 25, 2019·3 min read

Ritalin Has No Effect on Primate Prefrontal Cortex

Even at doses that help improve monkeys' attention, researchers observe no differences of neural activity in the prefrontal cortex after administering Ritalin.

Featured Neuroscience

·December 13, 2018·6 min read

Ritalin Drives Greater Connection Between Brain Areas Key to Memory and Attention

A new neuroimaging study reveals methylphenidate, better known as Ritalin, increases the level of dopamine available in the caudate. Along with increased dopamine levels, researchers also notice greater functional connectivity between the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and precuneus, three areas of the brain associated with memory and attention.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 15, 2017·4 min read

Non-Prescription Use of Ritalin Linked to Adverse Side Effects

Researchers report changes in brain chemistry in people who take the medication Ritalin without it being prescribed to them. Changes impacted body weight, risk taking behaviors and locomotive activity. Additionally, women were more sensitive to the behavioral effects that men.