| Methylphenidate (MP) has become the most commonly used drug in the treatment of attention deficit-hyperactive disorder (ADHD). MP is a central nervous system stimulant, sharing features with drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine, which are well known for their high rate of abuse. Due to the potential for misdiagnosis of ADHD as well as a growing rate of casual use of the drug for pleasure, MP can enter biological systems that do not legitimately require it, broadening the drug's reach into society. The question of propensity for future abuse and addiction arises with the unwarranted use of MP, a propensity which should not be altogether drawn out even when medically prescribed. Research to date has not created nor employed a clinically comparable pre-clinical paradigm for studying the drug and its short term as well as long term effects, and therefore, valid insights into MP's effects as in animal models have not been truly attained. The current experiment establishes such a pre-clinical oral paradigm of MP treatment that satisfies factors justifying it to be most comparable to a clinical situation not previously achieved in animal research. |
