Modulation of methylphenidate effects on wheel running and acoustic startle by acute food deprivation in commercially and selectively bred rats

►The utility of food-deprivation-induced running as a predictor of stimulant effects varied between rat strains. ►Under deprivation, rate-dependent methylphenidate effects on running occurred among Harlan SD rats. ►A paradoxical effect also occurred among Low-, but not High-, Saccharin-Consuming rats. ►Deprivation also differentially modulated methylphenidate's effect on startle and prepulse inhibition. ►Dopaminergic pathways likely mediate linkage of the taste phenotype to deprivation-dependent stimulant effects.