Effect of methylphenidate pretreatment on the behavioral and biochemical responses to amphetamine

After rats were chronically pretreated with methylphenidate (MP), the stereotyped behavioral response to amphetamine (AMPH) was significantly enhanced. In addition, after this pretreatment, the AMPH-induced release of endogenous dopamine from slices of striatum and nucleus accumbens was also enhanced. These effects of MP pretreatment are similar to those reported for AMPH pretreatment and suggest that the sensitization to AMPH that develops after pretreatment with either drug is due to a common mechanism.