A study led by Chiang-shan Ray Li, MD, PhD, and published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, showed that methylphenidate, normally used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), can also be used on patients being treated for cocaine dependency.
A feature on Medscape.com shares the results of the small functional magnetic resonance imaging (f-MRI) study. The results indicated that methylphenidate can improve the self-control of cocaine-dependent patents. Dr. Li, who is an associate professor of psychiatry and neurobiology at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, shared the following statement with Medscape Medical News: “Currently, there are no [US Food and Drug Administration] approved medications for cocaine dependence… This study may help establish the neurobiological basis of catecholaminergic agents in the treatment of some patients with [cocaine dependence].”
The study consisted of data provided by ten volunteers who are cocaine-dependent. The volunteers were enrolled in an in-patient treatment unit, and some were randomly selected to receive either methylphenidate or saline placebo intravenously on the first session. The next treatment is received in another session conducted after 48 hours. After an estimated 45 minutes following each treatment, the feature shared, “participants performed a computerized stop signal test while undergoing an f-MRI.”
The following were measured at particular points in time (30 minutes before injections for the baseline, 30 minutes after the injections, and during each f-MRI): craving, anxiety, euphoria, heart rate, and blood pressure. Monitoring was continued up to six hours after sessions.
Tags: cocaine abuse, cocaine abuse treatment, cocaine addiction, cocaine addiction treatment, cocaine rehabilitation, cocaine treatment
