Effect of postnatal methamphetamine trauma and adolescent methylphenidate treatment on adult hippocampal neurogenesis in gerbils

Methylphenidate (e.g. Ritalin®) is the most common drug used in the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. However, only a few studies have investigated the neuroanatomical long-term effects of this treatment. Prolonged application of methylphenidate during adolescence causes alterations in dopaminergic fiber or receptor densities in adult rodents. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of adolescent methylphenidate treatment on adult hippocampal neurogenesis in male gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus). Animals were first treated with either a single methamphetamine challenge on postnatal day 14 (to cause a disturbance in the dopaminergic system, to mimic the disturbed dopaminergic system seen in ADHD children) or saline and then received a daily oral application of 5 mg/kg methylphenidate or water from postnatal day 30–60 or were left undisturbed. On postnatal 90 gerbils were injected with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU, a DNA synthesis marker) and sacrificed seven days later. Results reveal that the pretreatment with methamphetamine causes a decrease in the number of BrdU-positive cells in the dentate gyrus. Methylphenidate treatment however did not cause any differences in the number of labelled cells in any group. This implies that, despite methylphenidate's efficiency in inducing changes in the dopaminergic system and associated areas, it might be less effective in altering neurogenesis in the hippocampus.