title: The effects of methylphenidate on whole brain intrinsic functional connectivity.
abstract: Methylphenidate (MPH) is an indirect dopaminergic and noradrenergic agonist that is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and that has shown therapeutic potential in neuropsychiatric diseases such as depression, dementia, and Parkinson's disease. While effects of MPH on task-induced brain activation have been investigated, little is known about how MPH influences the resting brain. To investigate the effects of 40 mg of oral MPH on intrinsic functional connectivity, we used resting state fMRI in 54 healthy male subjects in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Functional connectivity analysis employing ICA revealed seven resting state networks (RSN) of interest. Connectivity strength between the dorsal attention network and the thalamus was increased after MPH intake. Other RSN located in association cortex areas, such as the left and right frontoparietal networks and the executive control network, showed MPH-induced connectivity increase to sensory-motor and visual cortex regions and connectivity decrease to cortical and subcortical components of cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical circuits (CST). RSN located in sensory-motor cortex areas showed the opposite pattern with MPH-induced connectivity increase to CST components and connectivity decrease to sensory-motor and visual cortex regions. Our results provide evidence that MPH does not only alter intrinsic connectivity between brain areas involved in sustained attention, but that it also induces significant changes in the cortico-cortical and cortico-subcortical connectivity of many other cognitive and sensory-motor RSN.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, 81377, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Sophia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Keeser
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pogarell
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berman
authors.forename: Ute
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Coates
authors.forename: Maximilian F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Reiser
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Riedel
authors.forename: Hans-Jürgen
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Möller
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ettinger
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Meindl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008774:Methylphenidate / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D012146:Rest; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D008774:Methylphenidate
keywords: ADHD; dopamine agonist; intrinsic functional connectivity; methylphenidate; resting state fMRI