The goal of this proposal is to develop brain imaging tools to measure the effects of methylphenidate in children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methylphenidate is an FDA-approved treatment for ADHD. Specifically, the investigators will correlate brain activity during cognitive tasks and brain chemistry with cognitive performance. These measures could help the investigators understand how current ADHD medications work and then could be used to develop novel drugs to treat ADHD in children and adolescents.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Single oral dose of methylphenidate (5mg or 10 mg)
oral placebo
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
BOLD signal during response inhibition
Blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal (brain activity during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), arbitrary units) in the anterior cingulate cortex during response inhibition.
Time frame: Approximately 90 minutes after dose
BOLD signal during working memory
BOLD signal (brain activity during fMRI, arbitrary units) in the frontal cortex during working memory
Time frame: Approximately 90 minutes after dose
Glutamate level in the anterior cingulate cortex
Glutamate level (measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), institutional units) in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC).
Time frame: Approximately 2 hours after dose
Glutamate level in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
Glutamate level (measured by MRS, institutional units) in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
Time frame: Approximately 2 hours after dose
Cognitive performance as assessed by the Flanker performance task
NIH Toolbox Cognitive Battery Flanker task, score range 0 to 20, higher score is better performance
Time frame: Approximately 3 hours after dose
Working memory performance
NIH Toolbox Cognitive Battery working memory task (list sorting), score range 0 to 26, higher score is better performance
Time frame: Approximately 3 hours after dose
ADHD as assessed by the Connors 3
Connors 3rd edition ADHD assessment, lower score means less symptoms, typical scores are 40 to 59, above 65 is an elevated score (meaning more concerns than are typically reported)
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Time frame: At each study visit, approximately 3 hours after dose
NIH Toolbox Cognitive Battery
Cognition Fluid Composite, Cognition Crystallized Composite, Cognition Total Composite Score, and other individual test scores
Time frame: Approximately 3 hours after dose
Methylphenidate plasma levels
Methylphenidate plasma levels will be drawn before and after brain imaging on each visit
Time frame: Approximately 90 min and 150 min after dose