Long-term effects of stimulant exposure on cerebral blood flow response to methylphenidate and behavior in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Brain Imaging Behav
; 12(2): 402-410, 2018 Apr.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-28321605
ABSTRACT
Stimulant prescription rates for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are increasing, even though potential long-term effects on the developing brain have not been well-studied. A previous randomized clinical trial showed short-term age-dependent effects of stimulants on the DA system. We here assessed the long-term modifying effects of age-of-first-stimulant treatment on the human brain and behavior. 81 male adult ADHD patients were stratified into three groups 1) early stimulant treatment (EST; <16 years of age) 2) late stimulant treatment (LST ≥23 years of age) and 3) stimulant treatment naive (STN; no history of stimulant treatment). We used pharmacological magnetic resonance imaging (phMRI) to assess the cerebral blood flow (CBF) response to an oral methylphenidate challenge (MPH, 0.5 mg/kg), as an indirect measure of dopamine function in fronto-striatal areas. In addition, mood and anxiety scores, and recreational drug use were assessed. Baseline ACC CBF was lower in the EST than the STN group (p = 0.03), although CBF response to MPH was similar between the three groups (p = 0.23). ADHD symptom severity was higher in the STN group compared to the other groups (p < 0.01). In addition, the EST group reported more depressive symptoms (p = 0.04), but not anxiety (p = 0.26), and less recreational drug use (p = 0.04). In line with extensive pre-clinical data, our data suggest that early, but not late, stimulant treatment long-lastingly affects the human brain and behavior, possibly indicating fundamental changes in the dopamine system.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity
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Brain
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Cerebrovascular Circulation
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Central Nervous System Stimulants
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Methylphenidate
Type of study:
Clinical_trials
Limits:
Adult
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Humans
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Male
Language:
En
Journal:
Brain Imaging Behav
Journal subject:
CEREBRO
/
CIENCIAS DO COMPORTAMENTO
/
DIAGNOSTICO POR IMAGEM
Year:
2018
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country: