Could ADHD Drugs Give Addicts a Better Chance at Quitting?
If your mental health is affected by ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder), you may use Ritalin for help with your concentration. However, according to a new study, published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, the drug may also help treat addiction in people who use cocaine.
Prior studies have shown that that oral methylphenidate – a stimulant drug prescribed to treat ADHD – helped improve brain function in cocaine addicts when they were performing specific cognitive tasks, such as ignoring emotionally distracting words or resolving a cognitive conflict. This new study revealed that, when your wellness is affected by cocaine addiction, the drug works by changing connectivity in certain brain circuits responsible for self-control and craving, but the researchers noted that the findings might also apply to other types of addictions.
In a statement, Rita Goldstein, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai, who led the research while at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in New York, commented, ‘Orally administered methylphenidate increases dopamine in the brain, similar to cocaine, but without the strong addictive properties. We wanted to determine whether such substitutive properties, which are helpful in other replacement therapies such as using nicotine gum instead of smoking cigarettes or methadone instead of heroin, would play a role in enhancing brain connectivity between regions of potential importance for intervention in cocaine addiction.’
For the study, the researchers evaluated 18 cocaine addicted who were either given an oral dose of methylphenidate or placebo. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the researchers measured the strength of connectivity in particular brain circuits linked to addiction both before and during peak drug effects. They then determined how severe each patients’ addiction was, in case level of addiction had any effect on the results. The findings revealed that methylphenidate normalised the nerve pathways that are usually disrupted in cocaine addiction, strengthening connectivity between several brain regions of your brain that are involved in regulating your emotions and exerting control over your behaviours
Goldstein concluded, ‘The benefits of methylphenidate were present after only one dose, indicating that this drug has significant potential as a treatment add-on for addiction to cocaine and possibly other stimulants. This is a preliminary study, but the findings are exciting and warrant further exploration, particularly in conjunction with cognitive behavioural therapy or cognitive remediation.’
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