A study posted in the November 2006 issue of the journal Biological Psychiatry suggests the possible mechanism by which Ritalin affects attention and decision-making. The drug seems to have an impact on the prefrontal cortex, an area responsible for higher-level reasoning and executive functions – the skills necessary to work towards future goals. Therapeutic doses of the medication in rats increased sensitivity to important signals from hippocampus while reducing sensitivity to less-important, potentially distracting signals.

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© Dr. Brian MacDonald C. Psych. for Family Anatomy, 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: ADHD, attention, medication, methylphenidate, Ritalin
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