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Methylphenidate modulates interactions of anxiety with cognition
C Gaillard1, T R Lago2, A X Gorka3
1Section on Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. claudie.gaillard@nih.gov.
Translational Psychiatry
|October 22, 2021
Summary
Methylphenidate (MPH) enhanced working memory (WM) performance and altered brain network activity under anxiety. This cognitive enhancement may help regulate anxiety by balancing cognitive processing and emotion regulation networks.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Psychopharmacology
Background:
- Anxiety impairs cognitive function, yet demanding tasks can reduce anxiety.
- Understanding the neural mechanisms of this anxiolytic effect is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how methylphenidate (MPH), a cognitive enhancer, influences neural networks during anxiety and cognitive tasks.
- To examine the interplay between brain networks involved in anxiety and cognition under pharmacological manipulation.
Main Methods:
- A double-blind, between-subject design using 50 healthy adults.
- Pharmacological manipulation of working memory (WM) with methylphenidate (MPH) or placebo.
- fMRI during an N-back task under safe and threat (induced-anxiety) conditions with varying WM loads.
Main Results:
- MPH improved overall WM accuracy compared to placebo.
- MPH strengthened fronto-parietal control network (FPCN) engagement and reduced default mode network (DMN) deactivation.
- These effects were more pronounced under threat, during initial task runs, and with higher WM load.
Conclusions:
- MPH may expand cognitive resources, aiding the processing of anxiety-provoking stimuli and top-down regulation.
- This mechanism could balance FPCN (cognitive processing) and DMN (emotion regulation) activity.
- Pharmacological enhancement of cognition shows potential for managing anxiety-related cognitive impairments.
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