Pubdate: Mon, 03 Dec 2001
Source: National Post (Canada)
Copyright: 2001 Southam Inc.
Contact:  http://www.nationalpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/286
Author: Helen Branswell

EARLY RITALIN USE MAY CURB ADULT DRUG ABUSE: STUDY

Children who take Ritalin may be less likely than other kids to abuse 
drugs such as cocaine as they grow up. But as they mature, they may 
also be less likely to delight in other legal joys, a new study 
suggests.

Ritalin taken during childhood may alter something in the brain's 
reward system, making a drug such as cocaine less enjoyable in later 
life, suggests a study published today in the journal Nature 
Neuroscience.

Lead author Susan Andersen says her research, performed on rats, 
suggests Ritalin may be protective against drug abuse in adulthood if 
a child takes it before going through puberty.

"Does it suggest that? Yeah, it might. But ... there's so little 
known at this stage that it's definitely a further-study-is-needed 
kind of issue," said Ms. Andersen, a researcher in developmental 
psychopharmacology at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass.

While research on animals is common and illuminating, questions 
always remain about whether results would be identical if the 
subjects walked on two legs, not four.

Ms. Andersen admitted she and her co-authors are concerned that if 
Ritalin makes stimulants less rewarding, it may also blunt enjoyment 
of other behaviours associated with the brain's reward system.

"They might not like sex as much," she said.

Likewise, eating may be less appealing. In fact, a common side-effect 
of Ritalin use is an at-least-temporary decrease in appetite.

"So while it all sounds really wonderful and good, it may be 
decreasing other aspects of life that one may not want to change," 
Ms. Anderson said in a telephone interview.

The study appears to begin to answer one of the many outstanding 
questions about the long-term implications of Ritalin use in children.

The drug, a stimulant called methylphenidate, is widely prescribed in 
North America to curb the disruptive behaviours associated with 
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
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