EARLY RITALIN USE MAY CURB ADULT DRUG ABUSE: STUDY

Children who take Ritalin may be less likely than other kids to abuse
drugs such as cocaine as they grow up. But as they mature, they may
also be less likely to delight in other legal joys, a new study
suggests.

Ritalin taken during childhood may alter something in the brain's
reward system, making a drug such as cocaine less enjoyable in later
life, suggests a study published today in the journal Nature
Neuroscience.

Lead author Susan Andersen says her research, performed on rats,
suggests Ritalin may be protective against drug abuse in adulthood if
a child takes it before going through puberty.

"Does it suggest that? Yeah, it might. But ... there's so little
known at this stage that it's definitely a further-study-is-needed
kind of issue," said Ms. Andersen, a researcher in developmental
psychopharmacology at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass.

While research on animals is common and illuminating, questions
always remain about whether results would be identical if the
subjects walked on two legs, not four.

Ms. Andersen admitted she and her co-authors are concerned that if
Ritalin makes stimulants less rewarding, it may also blunt enjoyment
of other behaviours associated with the brain's reward system.

"They might not like sex as much," she said.

Likewise, eating may be less appealing. In fact, a common side-effect
of Ritalin use is an at-least-temporary decrease in appetite.

"So while it all sounds really wonderful and good, it may be
decreasing other aspects of life that one may not want to change,"
Ms. Anderson said in a telephone interview.

The study appears to begin to answer one of the many outstanding
questions about the long-term implications of Ritalin use in children.

The drug, a stimulant called methylphenidate, is widely prescribed in
North America to curb the disruptive behaviours associated with
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.