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Abstract
We aimed to investigate the effects of methylphenidate (MPH) in healthy rats on two distinct radial maze tasks which rely on brain structures and neurotransmitters known to be affected by MPH: the Random Foraging Non-Delay Task (RFNDT) and the Delayed Spatial Win Shift Task (DSWT). Hooded Lister rats were trained to complete either the RFNDT or the DSWT having received oral treatment of either a vehicle or MPH (3.0 mg/kg and 5.0 mg/kg for RFNDT, 3.0 mg/kg for DSWT). We found no effect of MPH on the RFNDT relative to the control group. However, those treated with 5.0 mg/kg MPH did take significantly longer to reach criterion performance than those treated with the 3.0 mg/kg MPH, suggesting some doses of MPH can have detrimental effects. For the DSWT, if MPH was present in both phases, performance did not differ from when it was absent in both phases. However, when present in only one phase there was an increase in errors made, although this only reached significance for when MPH was present only in the test-phase. These data suggest that MPH may have detrimental effects on task performance and can result in state-dependent effects in healthy individuals.
Highlights
The term “nootropic” was coined in 1964 to mean drugs capable of enhancing cognition
We aimed to investigate the effects of methylphenidate (MPH) in healthy rats on two distinct radial maze tasks which rely on brain structures and neurotransmitters known to be affected by MPH: the Random Foraging Non-Delay Task (RFNDT) and the Delayed Spatial Win Shift Task (DSWT)
The neurobiology of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is not fully understood, it is generally accepted that the pathophysiology includes a role for both dopamine and noradrenalin (Arnsten, 2009; Del Campo et al, 2011)
Summary
The term “nootropic” was coined in 1964 to mean drugs capable of enhancing cognition At the time it referred to a limited range of drugs that improved performance on simple learning and memory tasks in rodents. On average, 7% of US university students are using cognitive enhancers, a figure that rises to 25% at some institutions (Sahakian and Morein-Zamir, 2007; Greely et al, 2008). Despite this increasing use of MPH in healthy individuals, research into its effects has largely been conducted in those diagnosed with ADHD. It may be detrimental where performance is already established (Elliott et al, 1997) and where enhancement does occur it appears to be baseline dependent such that improvements are only found in those who perform poorly at baseline (Clatworthy et al, 2009)
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