Methylphenidate-induced changes in cerebral hemodynamics measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy

The aim of the present preliminary study was to evaluate the feasibility of measuring cerebral hemodynamic effects of a clinical dose of methylphenidate by near-infrared spectroscopy in 10 boys (median age, 10.7 years; range, 8.6-11.8 years) with developmental attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Using a Trail Making Test known to activate the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, cerebral hemodynamic changes show a lower increase of cerebral blood volume in the right prefrontal cortex (P = .033) and a lower increase of the tissue oxygenation index in the left prefrontal cortex (P = .015) in the condition after intake of methylphenidate compared with a drug-naive situation. A lower increase of the tissue oxygenation index indicates a changing regional oxygen metabolism and consumption induced by methylphenidate. Near-infrared spectroscopy is a sensitive tool for measuring pharmacological effects of methylphenidate on the cerebral hemodynamics.