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East Tennessee State University
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Methylphenidate; Ritalin; Sex Differences; Conditioned Place Preference; Rat; Dopamine Transporter
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Full-Text Articles in Developmental Psychology
Methylphenidate Conditioned Place Preference In Juvenile And Adolescent Male And Female Rats, Elizabeth D. Freeman
Methylphenidate Conditioned Place Preference In Juvenile And Adolescent Male And Female Rats, Elizabeth D. Freeman
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This investigation was an analysis of the effects of methylphenidate (MPH; trade name: Ritalin) on drug reward using the conditioned place preference (CPP) behavioral paradigm in a rodent model and underlying mechanisms of this effect. Animals were conditioned in adolescence from postnatal day (P)33-39) or P44-49 with saline, 1 or 5 mg/kg MPH. Rats administered 5 mg/kg but not 1 mg/kg MPH, resulted in a significant preference that was more robust in younger male adolescent rats. The 5 mg/kg dose of MPH also resulted in a significant decrease of the dopamine transporter in both the nucleus accumbens and striatum, revealing …