Treatment with a clinically-relevant dose of methylphenidate alters NMDA receptor composition and synaptic plasticity in the juvenile rat prefrontal cortex

- Methylphenidate (MPH) is the most prescribed psychoactive drug for children.
- Widely used for ADHD and cognition, its cellular mechanisms are poorly understood.
- MPH decreased NR1 and NR2B, but not NR2A subunits, in juvenile prefrontal cortex.
- MPH also decreased NMDAR-EPSCs but increased AMPAR-mediated short-term plasticity.
- MPH increased the probability of LTP induction, but had a small effect on LTD.