Authors:

Dafny N

Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, UT Houston McGovern Medical School, USA

Abstract:

A CNS stimulant called methylphenidate (MPD) is well-known for treating behavioural disorders. Its rising popularity among “normal” people for cognitive enhancement and leisure has created a significant public health issue. According to this study, acute MPD exposure mostly results in increases in neuronal and behavioural activity in dose response characteristics. Chronic MPD exposure, as opposed to acute MPD (0.6, 2.5, or 10.0 mg/kg), causes electrophysiological sensitization and behavioural intolerance in some animals while eliciting tolerance in others. The majority of the neurons recorded from animals displaying behavioural sensitization responded to chronic MPD by increasing their firing rate compared to the initial MPD exposure when evaluations of neuronal recordings were based on the animals’ behavioural responses to chronic MPD. Moreover, most of the Neurons recorded from animals displaying behavioural tolerance decreased in firing rate after chronic MPD treatment compared to before the MPD exposure. The VTA, LC, DR, NAc, PFC, and CN all responded to MPD significantly differently, indicating that each of the aforementioned brain areas plays a unique function in the reaction to MPD. The most sensitive neurons to MPD were those in the DR. The study shows that in order to accurately determine the function of each neuron in reaction to a drug, it is crucial to measure neuronal activity responses to psychostimulants based on the animal’s behavioural responses from multiple brain areas concurrently. MPD causes symptoms that are typical of diseases that involve substance misuse.

Citation:

Dafny N. In contrast to other neuronal activities recorded from the other five brain areas, the Serotonergic Signaling and the Dorsal Raphe (DR) Neuronsin Adolescent Rats are the Most Engaged in Response to Acute and Chronic Methylphenidate. Clinical Imaging and Case Reports 2023.