The Effects of Methylphenidate on Neural Systems of Attention in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Abstract
Objective Recent studies have suggested that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with abnormalities in basal ganglia and prefrontal cortical functioning. However, these studies have primarily relied upon cognitive tasks that reflect impulse control rather than attentional mechanisms. Method The authors used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the neural correlates of selective and divided attention in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pharmacological challenge with methylphenidate in 15 adolescents with ADHD (ages 14-17), eight adolescents with reading disorder (ages 12-17), and four adolescents with both reading disorder and ADHD (ages 14-18) who were scanned during both a methylphenidate and a placebo session. Fourteen healthy comparison subjects (ages 12-20) who were not given methylphenidate served as the primary comparison group. Results During the divided attention task, unmedicated subjects with ADHD or reading disorder recruited the left ventral basal ganglia significantly less than the healthy comparison subjects. Methylphenidate led to an increase in activation in this region but had no effect on task performance. Subjects with ADHD also recruited the middle temporal gyrus significantly less than the comparison subjects, but methylphenidate did not have a direct effect on activation in this region. Conclusions These results suggest that ADHD is associated with abnormal processing in attentional networks, with s…
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Other areas were also normalized, most prominently basal ganglia underfunction during inhibitory control and timing.
“Other areas were also normalized, most prominently basal ganglia underfunction during inhibitory control 17, 25, 73 and timing (4) (Table S2 in Supplement 1).”
From Effects of stimulants on brain function in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2014) · cites this paper as [73]
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- Authors
- Shafritz, K. M., Marchione, K. E., Gore, J. C., Shaywitz, S. E., & Shaywitz, B. A.
- Affiliations
- Duke Medical Center (US)
- Venue
- American Journal of Psychiatry
- Published
- 2004-11-01
- Volume
- 161
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 1990-1997
- ISSN
- 0002-953X (ISSN-L)
- 1535-7228
- OpenAlex
- W2113754559
- Cited by
- 190
- References
- 32
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 23
- FWCI
- 6.43
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (5p01hd021888-10)
- National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (R01EB000461, EB000461)
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (P01HD21888, P50 HD25802, P50HD025802)
- 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
- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, methylphenidate, selective attention, divided attention, basal ganglia, striatal circuitry, prefrontal cortex, middle temporal gyrus, reading disorders, adolescents, attentional networks, pharmacological challenge
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Central Nervous System Stimulants, Attention, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Basal Ganglia, Corpus Striatum, Double-Blind Method, Dyslexia, Female, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Methylphenidate, Neural Pathways, Placebos, Psychomotor Performance, Prefrontal Cortex
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