Drexel University researchers found that methylphenidate (Ritalin) administered to juvenile rats produced significant depressive effects on pyramidal neurons. The authors conclude that “the juvenile prefrontal cortex is supersensitive to methylphenidate, and the accepted therapeutic range for adults is an overshoot. Juvenile treatment with MPH may result in long-lasting, potentially permanent, changes to excitatory neurons function in the prefrontal cortex of juvenile rats.” The study will appear in Biological Psychiatry.
Distinct Age-Dependent Effects of Methylphenidate on Developing and Adult Prefrontal Neurons, Biological Psychiatry, available online 19 May 2012
