Publication

Effects of methylphenidate on receptor-enriched functional connectivity and the relation with response inhibition in children and adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

2026

Abstract

Objective: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder that is commonly treated with stimulants like methylphenidate. In addition to attentional, hyperactive and impulsive symptoms, cognitive functions like response inhibition are commonly affected in ADHD. Methylphenidate effectively alleviates these symptoms by inhibiting the dopamine and noradrenaline transporters (DAT/NET) in the brain, leading to increased extracellular dopamine and noradrenaline levels. However, the role of specific dopamine and noradrenaline receptor subtypes in methylphenidate's effects on brain function and cognition remains unclear. This study addressed this gap by examining their contribution to resting-state functional connectivity (FC), and its relation to response inhibition. Furthermore, we evaluated the agedependency of these effects, as previous research suggests methylphenidate's effects may differ in children and adults[1]. Methods: We included 50 boys (aged 10-12 years) and 49 men (aged 23-40 years) with ADHD as part of the ePOD-Methylphenidate project[2]. All participants were stimulant treatment-naive. Participants performed a response inhibition task and underwent 3T MRI (anatomical and resting-state functional MRI) before and 90 minutes after a single-dose methylphenidate-challenge (0.5 mg/kg; max. 20mg in children, max. 40 mg in adults). Resting-state functional MR data was processed using fMRIPrep and ICA-AROMA. Mean framewise displacement (FD) was extracted and dprime was calculated as a measure of response inhibition task performance[3]. We applied REACT[4] to evaluate FC weighted for DAT, NET, D1-receptor and D2/3-receptor distributions (i.e. receptor-enriched FC). Using FSL randomise (v6.0.7; 5000 iterations, tfce, FWEcorrection) we identified (methylphenidate-induced changes in) significant receptor-enriched FC (one-sample t-tests, P-threshold

Official source

Graph Chat

Chat with Graph Search

Ask any question about EPFL courses, lectures, exercises, research, news, etc. or try the example questions below.

DISCLAIMER: The Graph Chatbot is not programmed to provide explicit or categorical answers to your questions. Rather, it transforms your questions into API requests that are distributed across the various IT services officially administered by EPFL. Its purpose is solely to collect and recommend relevant references to content that you can explore to help you answer your questions.

2026

Abstract

Official source

Related concepts (32)

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by excessive amounts of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that are pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise age-inappropriate. ADHD symptoms arise from executive dysfunction, and emotional dysregulation is often considered a core symptom. In children, problems paying attention may result in poor school performance.

Dopamine receptor

Dopamine receptors are a class of G protein-coupled receptors that are prominent in the vertebrate central nervous system (CNS). Dopamine receptors activate different effectors through not only G-protein coupling, but also signaling through different protein (dopamine receptor-interacting proteins) interactions. The neurotransmitter dopamine is the primary endogenous ligand for dopamine receptors. Dopamine receptors are implicated in many neurological processes, including motivational and incentive salience, cognition, memory, learning, and fine motor control, as well as modulation of neuroendocrine signaling.

Dopamine

Dopamine (DA, a contraction of 3,4-dihydroxyphenethylamine) is a neuromodulatory molecule that plays several important roles in cells. It is an organic chemical of the catecholamine and phenethylamine families. Dopamine constitutes about 80% of the catecholamine content in the brain. It is an amine synthesized by removing a carboxyl group from a molecule of its precursor chemical, L-DOPA, which is synthesized in the brain and kidneys. Dopamine is also synthesized in plants and most animals.

Related publications (29)

Effects of methylphenidate on receptor-enriched functional connectivity and the relation with response inhibition in children and adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Chat with Graph Search

Urban maps of the brain: associations between city living, brain anatomy, and mental and cognitive health

Synaptic Tuning of Brain Rhythms: From Chemical Signalling to Cortical Oscillations

Correlative Ultrastructural Mapping of Lewy Pathology Reveals Regional Diversity in Parkinsons and Dementia with Lewy bodies