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Clinical Trial
. 1995 Jul;34(7):897-901.
doi: 10.1097/00004583-199507000-00013.

Effects of methylphenidate on reward strength in boys with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

P C Wilkison  1 , J C Kircher, W M McMahon, H N Sloane
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Effects of methylphenidate on reward strength in boys with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

P C Wilkison et al. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1995 Jul.

Abstract

Objective: To test the hypothesis that methylphenidate reduces thresholds for reward in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Method: A double-blind crossover design was used in which 16 ADHD boys, aged 8 to 13 years, received methylphenidate on one testing occasion and placebo on another. On each occasion, subjects performed a task that required progressively greater numbers of button presses to earn a fixed monetary payoff.

Results: The "breaking point" above which the hyperactive child was unwilling to continue with the task was significantly higher during drug than placebo trials.

Conclusions: The results support an assumption that underlies the reward system dysfunction hypothesis of ADHD, and they suggest that reward mechanisms may underlie the therapeutic effects of stimulants observed across a wide range of tasks and settings.

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