Hi, this is Bill O’Hanlon, guest blogging while Ruth travels to some conferences.
Ruth recently interviewed me as part of NICABM’s Brain Plasticity series on brain plasticity and depression. There I discussed a new hypothesis relating depression, movement, brain growth and anti-depressants.
Well, now comes news that Ritalin, like anti-depressants, appears to encourage not just an enhanced ability to focus, but an increase in brain growth, learning ability and plasticity.
The researchers identified some receptors in the amygdala that help focus and others that were involved in brain growth and learning. After administering Ritalin to some rats and giving them a learning task, they discovered the brain plasticity aspect of Ritalin by blocking either the focus receptors or the learning receptors.
The conclusion: Ritalin affects the amygdala by helping people who are taking it focus, but also enhances brain growth, plasticity and the ability to learn.
On the other hand, many of these drugs can have significant side effects. We’re learning some interesting ideas about other ways that we can stimulate the brain – exercise, mindfulness meditation, and more.
This research might help future drug development for ADHD that would have fewer problematic side effects.
Cool stuff, this brain plasticity.
Find out more about brain plasticity (and explore some alternatives to medications for changing the brain) by signing up for the New Brain Science Series here (or get more options for consuming the audios and getting CE credits and transcripts).
Reference: Kay M Tye, Lynne D Tye, Jackson J Cone, Evelien F Hekkelman, Patricia H Janak & Antonello Bonci. (2010). “Methylphenidate facilitates learning-induced amygdala plasticity,” Nature Neuroscience (2010) doi:10.1038/nn.2506; Published online 07 March 2010
Click here to find out more at the website for the journal in which the research was published.
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Hello Ruth and Bill:
I visited your blog and found it very interesting. lt is food to feed our mind and brian for the work all of us are doing, for which I thank you very much.
Facts and results is what we need, to be able to implement new techniques through experience that will help us help others towards their selfgrowth.
At the end of the day this is the important conclusion to be able to create the best scenario to live the life we came to live learning lessons and being able to leave a legacy to our loved ones and make the world a better place for them to live.
With Love Light and Compassion
Esther
The side effect you cite is positive, i.e. enhanced learning. So why the cautionary note? People are, understandably, uncomfortable giving medication to young children, and this should always be done with monitoring and, I think, cognitive and behavior therapy. That said, countless children and adults too have had their lives improved by this medication. When I worked in Pediatric Neurology at UCLA, I talked to summer camp directors who would not allow medications–and then sent difficult children back home.
Thanks for this info, Bill and Ruth!
I began my career 40 years ago as a Child Dev. Spec with the Univ of OK HSC working with and teaching multi-handicapped rubella epidemic kiddos. Saw more than one react not so well to Ritalin and am grateful for the alternatives available today.
When I attended the NICABM conference in San Diego many years ago, I met a wonderful young single mother of a, by then ,16 yo son who had been dx’d with ADD at a young age and prescribed Ritalin and several other pharmaceuticals to which he responded poorly. By the time he as 6 or 7, she had decided (with much courage) to look for alternatives to help him (and her). With tears in her eyes and a huge smile on her face she shared with me the recent experience at home when he started to wind up, as usual, and suddenly stopped and began singing to her the song she had sung to him many times over the years during these moments….”stop, in the name of love, before you break my heart…think it o’ ‘ver…..think it o’ ver”!
Your generosity with these teleseminars and blogs is appreciated more than I have words to express. Thankyou!