Faculty, Staff and Student Publications
Publication Date
7-24-2024
Journal
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Abstract
Methylphenidate (MPD) remains a cornerstone pharmacological intervention for managing ADHD, yet its increasing usage among ordinary youth and adults outside clinical contexts necessitates a thorough investigation into its developmental effects. This study seeks to simultaneously investigate the behavioral and neuronal changes within the dorsal raphe (DR) nucleus, a center of serotonergic neurons in the mammalian brain, before and after the administration of varying doses of acute and chronic MPD in freely behaving young and adult rats implanted with DR recording electrodes. Wireless neuronal and behavioral recording systems were used over 10 consecutive experimental days. Eight groups were examined: saline, 0.6, 2.5, and 10.0 mg/kg MPD for both young and adult rats. Six daily MPD injections were administered on experimental days 1 to 6, followed by a three-day washout period and MPD re-administration on experimental day 10 (ED10). The analysis of neuronal activity recorded from 504 DR neurons (DRNs) in young rats and 356 DRNs in adult rats reveals significant age-dependent differences in acute and chronic MPD responses. This study emphasizes the importance of aligning electrophysiological evaluations with behavioral outcomes following extended MPD exposure, elucidating the critical role of DRNs and serotonin signaling in modulating MPD responses and delineating age-specific variations in young versus adult rat models.
Keywords
Animals, Methylphenidate, Dorsal Raphe Nucleus, Rats, Serotonin, Male, Behavior, Animal, Neurons, Serotonergic Neurons, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Signal Transduction, Age Factors, age differences, behavior, dorsal raphe nucleus, neuronal activity, serotonin, methylphenidate
DOI
10.3390/ijms25158082
PMID
39125652
PMCID
PMC11311813
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
7-24-2024
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Post-print
Published Open-Access
yes