RESULTS In ADHD patients the middle and inferior frontal gyri , basal ganglia , and cerebellum were most often affected by MPH .
The middle and inferior frontal gyri were frequently affected by MPH during inhibitory control tasks .
Throughout nine task-based fMRI studies investigating MPH 's effect on the brains of pediatric patients with ADHD , MPH result ed in increased activation within frontal lobes , basal ganglia , and cerebellum .
In most cases , this increase " normalized " activation of at least some brain areas to that seen in typically developing children
OBJECTIVE Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) is a psychiatric disorder affecting 5 % of children .
Methylpheni date ( MPH ) is a common medication for ADHD .
Studies examining MPH 's effect on pediatric ADHD patients ' brain function using functional magnetic resonance imaging ( fMRI ) have not been compiled .
The goals of this systematic review were to determine ( 1 ) which areas of the brain in pediatric ADHD patients are modulated by a single dose of MPH , ( 2 ) whether areas modulated by MPH differ by task type performed during fMRI data acquisition , and ( 3 ) whether changes in brain activation due to MPH relate to clinical improvements in ADHD-related symptoms .
Methylphenidate Normalizes Fronto-Striatal Underactivation During Interference Inhibition in Medication-Naïve Boys with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Youth with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) have deficits in interference inhibition , which can be improved with the indirect catecholamine agonist methylpheni date ( MPH ) . Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to investigate the effects of a single dose of MPH on brain activation during interference inhibition in medication-naïve ADHD boys . Medication-naïve boys with ADHD were scanned twice , in a r and omized , double-blind design , under either a single clinical dose of MPH or placebo , while performing a Simon task that measures interference inhibition and controls for the oddball effect of low-frequency appearance of incongruent trials . Brain activation was compared within patients under either drug condition . To test for potential normalization effects of MPH , brain activation in ADHD patients under either drug condition was compared with that of healthy age-matched comparison boys . During incongruent trials compared with congruent – oddball trials , boys with ADHD under placebo relative to controls showed reduced brain activation in typical areas of interference inhibition , including right inferior prefrontal cortex , left striatum and thalamus , mid-cingulate/supplementary motor area , and left superior temporal lobe . MPH relative to placebo  upregulated brain activation in right inferior prefrontal and premotor cortices . Under the MPH condition , patients relative to controls no longer showed the reduced activation in right inferior prefrontal and striato-thalamic regions . Effect size comparison , furthermore , showed that these normalization effects were significant . MPH significantly normalized the fronto-striatal underfunctioning in ADHD patients relative to controls during interference inhibition , but did not affect medial frontal or temporal dysfunction .  MPH therefore appears to have a region-specific upregulation effect on fronto-striatal activation
RESULTS In ADHD patients the middle and inferior frontal gyri , basal ganglia , and cerebellum were most often affected by MPH .
The middle and inferior frontal gyri were frequently affected by MPH during inhibitory control tasks .
Throughout nine task-based fMRI studies investigating MPH 's effect on the brains of pediatric patients with ADHD , MPH result ed in increased activation within frontal lobes , basal ganglia , and cerebellum .
In most cases , this increase " normalized " activation of at least some brain areas to that seen in typically developing children
OBJECTIVE Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) is a psychiatric disorder affecting 5 % of children .
Methylpheni date ( MPH ) is a common medication for ADHD .
Studies examining MPH 's effect on pediatric ADHD patients ' brain function using functional magnetic resonance imaging ( fMRI ) have not been compiled .
The goals of this systematic review were to determine ( 1 ) which areas of the brain in pediatric ADHD patients are modulated by a single dose of MPH , ( 2 ) whether areas modulated by MPH differ by task type performed during fMRI data acquisition , and ( 3 ) whether changes in brain activation due to MPH relate to clinical improvements in ADHD-related symptoms .