Cited by 171Attention Deficit Hyperactivity DisorderNeural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

Methylphenidate Normalizes Frontocingulate Underactivation During Error Processing in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

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Rubia, Katya, Halari, Rozmin, Mohammad, Abdul-Majeed, Taylor, Eric, Brammer, Michael·2011·Biological Psychiatry

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have deficits in performance monitoring often improved with the indirect catecholamine agonist methylphenidate (MPH). We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the effects of single-dose MPH on activation of error processing brain areas in medication-naive boys with ADHD during a stop task that elicits 50% error rates. METHODS: Twelve medication-naive boys with ADHD were scanned twice, under either a single clinical dose of MPH or placebo, in a randomized, double-blind design while they performed an individually adjusted tracking stop task, designed to elicit 50% failures. Brain activation was compared within patients under either drug condition. To test for potential normalization effects of MPH, brain activation in ADHD patients under either drug condition was compared with that of 13 healthy age-matched boys. RESULTS: During failed inhibition, boys with ADHD under placebo relative to control subjects showed reduced brain activation in performance monitoring areas of dorsomedial and left ventrolateral prefrontal cortices, thalamus, cingulate, and parietal regions. MPH, relative to placebo, upregulated activation in these brain regions within patients and normalized all activation differences between patients and control subjects. During successful inhibition, MPH normalized reduced activation observed in patients under placebo compared with control subjects in parietotemporal and cerebellar regions. CONCLUSIONS: MPH normalized brain dysfunction in medication-naive ADHD boys relative to control subjects in typical brain areas of performance monitoring, comprising left ventrolateral and dorsomedial frontal and parietal cortices. This could underlie the amelioration of MPH of attention and academic performance in ADHD.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.04.018

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  • Randomized placebo-controlled fMRI studies of acute methylphenidate effects in medication-naïve ADHD boys found increased activation in the cerebellum during attention, time discrimination, and interference inhibition.

    “the cerebellum during attention, TD, and interference inhibition 4, 16, 18”

    From Effects of stimulants on brain function in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2014) · cites this paper as [18]

    The Methods describe a randomized, placebo-controlled fMRI study in medication-naïve boys with ADHD, and the Abstract Results report normalization of cerebellar underactivation during successful inhibition. But this study used a motor-response stop task, not attention, time-discrimination, or interference-inhibition tasks. The within-patient comparison found no significant activation difference between methylphenidate and placebo during successful stopping, so it does not establish the claimed cerebellar increase. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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  • Randomized placebo-controlled fMRI studies of acute methylphenidate effects in medication-naïve ADHD boys found increased activation in striatum during reward and response inhibition.

    “and striatum during reward and response inhibition 16, 18.”

    From Effects of stimulants on brain function in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2014) · cites this paper as [18]

    The Methods describe a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled fMRI study in 12 medication-naïve boys with ADHD. The Brain Activation results report greater putamen and caudate activation with methylphenidate during failed stopping, supporting the response-inhibition portion. This paper did not study reward, and it found no significant medication-related activation difference during successful stopping. The supplied copy gives no page numbers for these sections. (LLM, conf=0.87)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Randomized placebo-controlled fMRI studies of acute methylphenidate effects in medication-naïve ADHD boys found increased activation in predominantly right, but also left, IFC during tasks of sustained attention, inhibition, and time discrimination.

    “Randomized placebo-controlled fMRI studies of acute methylphenidate effects in medication-naïve ADHD boys using whole-brain image analyses found increased activation in predominantly right, but also left, IFC during tasks of sustained attention, inhibition, and time discrimination (TD) 4, 16, 17, 18”

    From Effects of stimulants on brain function in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2014) · cites this paper as [18]

    Split into 2 atoms — 1 confirmed, 1 partially supported, 0 disputed, 0 misattributed, 0 unverifiable. Expand the claim to see per-atom verdicts.

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  • Ten datasets compared methylphenidate with placebo on brain function in medication-naïve patients in randomized controlled designs.

    “Ten datasets compared methylphenidate with placebo on brain function in medication-naïve patients in randomized controlled designs 4, 16, 17, 18”
  • Randomized placebo-controlled fMRI studies of acute methylphenidate effects in medication-naïve ADHD boys found increased activation in parietal regions during sustained attention, error monitoring, and interference inhibition.

    “in parietal regions during sustained attention, error monitoring, and interference inhibition 16, 17, 18”

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. [11]Rubia K. “Cool” inferior frontostriatal dysfunction in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) versus “hot” ventromedial orbitofronto-limbic dysfunction in conduct disorder: A review [published online ahead of print November 20] Biol Psychiatry 2010 21094938

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Authors
Rubia, K., Halari, R., Mohammad, A.-M., Taylor, E., & Brammer, M.
Affiliations
King's College London (GB)
Corresponding author
Rubia, Katya
Venue
Biological Psychiatry
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2011-08
Volume
70
Issue
3
Pages
255-262
ISSN
0006-3223 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2050444644
Cited by
171
References
92
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 20 · 2012: 25
FWCI
14.53
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Biological Psychiatry (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Medical Research Council (G9900839)
  • PPP Healthcare UK (1206/1140)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
Keywords
methylphenidate, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, error processing, performance monitoring, ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, stop-signal task, inhibition, catecholamine agonists
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Central Nervous System Stimulants, Attention, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Child, Double-Blind Method, Frontal Lobe, Gyrus Cinguli, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Methylphenidate, Neuropsychological Tests, Psychomotor Performance

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