This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Mehta, M. A. Articles by Sahakian, B. J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Mehta, M. A. Articles by Sahakian, B. J. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Amelioration of specific working memory deficits by methylphenidate in a case of adult attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge

Paul Calloway

Fulbourn Hospital, Cambridge UK

Barbara J. Sahakian

Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 2QQ, UK; mitul.mehta2{at}csc.mrc.ac.uk

Cognitive neuroscience has provided an extensive literature on the neuroanatomy and psychopharmacology of working memory. However, while it has been shown that children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) have deficits in working memory, relatively little is known about working memory functions in adults diagnosed with AD/HD. Furthermore, it remains to be seen whether methylphenidate (Ritalin), which is used in the treatment of childhood AD/HD can improve performance deficits in adult AD/HD patients. We have used three paradigms of spatial working memory validated in cortical lesion patients, and psychopharmacological and neuroimaging studies, in order to examine the effects of methylphenidate administration in a case of an adult diagnosed with AD/HD. In the AD/HD patient at baseline testing, performance on a test of spatial recognition memory and on a task of self-ordered spatial working memory was shown to be impaired. Importantly, the impairments on the self-ordered spatial working memory task were ameliorated by an acute oral dose of methylphenidate (0.5 mg/kg). These findings provide insights into the possible neurochemical and neuroanatomical substrates of the action of methylphenidate in AD/HD and suggest a useful methodology for further research into this potentially debilitating disorder.

Key Words: AD/HD • dopamine • methylphenidate • prefrontal cortex • spatial working memory

Journal of Psychopharmacology, Vol. 14, No. 3, 299-302 (2000)
DOI: 10.1177/026988110001400314


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. Cools, S. E. Gibbs, A. Miyakawa, W. Jagust, and M. D'Esposito Working Memory Capacity Predicts Dopamine Synthesis Capacity in the Human Striatum J. Neurosci., January 30, 2008; 28(5): 1208 - 1212. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]