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Behavioral response to methylphenidate challenge: influence of early life parental care

Veronika Engert1, Ridha Joober, Michael J Meaney

  • 1Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H4H 1R3. veronika.engert@mail.mcgill.ca

Developmental Psychobiology
|June 4, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Early life parental care influences how the brain responds to methylphenidate (MPH) and reward. Low parental care enhances reward response with MPH, while high parental care decreases it.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychology
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Suboptimal early life conditions can lead to long-term dopamine system dysregulation.
  • In humans, low maternal care is linked to increased stress-induced dopamine release.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between the quality of early life parental care and behavioral responses to reward and methylphenidate (MPH).

Main Methods:

  • Forty-three male university students completed a monetarily rewarded card-sorting task.
  • A placebo-controlled, between-subjects design was used with 20 mg of the dopamine agonist MPH.
  • Parental care quality was assessed using the Parental Bonding Inventory.

Main Results:

  • Methylphenidate (MPH) decreased performance accuracy in the reward condition for participants reporting high parental care.
  • Conversely, MPH enhanced reward-induced performance accuracy in participants reporting low parental care.
  • Activity measures during reward and MPH administration were not affected by parental care levels.

Conclusions:

  • This study is the first to demonstrate an interaction between early life parental care and behavioral responses to methylphenidate (MPH) in humans.
  • Parental care quality significantly modulates the effects of MPH on reward-related task performance.

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