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Abstract #3520

Methylphenidate Causes Changes in the Amplitude and Latency of the Breath-Hold Response Function

Thalia Van der Doef1,2, Fernando Osmin Zelaya2, Sarah Lee2, Astrid Pauls2,3, Mitul Mehta2

1VU University Medical Centre, VU University, Amsterdam, Netherlands; 2Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, London, United Kingdom; 3VU University, Netherlands


A modified breath-hold (BH) paradigm was used to assess the effect of methylphenidate administration on the BH response function. An oral dose of 40mg of methylphenidate or a placebo were randomly administered to a group of 16 male subjects who took part in two separate scans one week apart. Whilst no statistically significant effect was found on the averaged temporal signal of grey matter, a significant increase in the amplitude of the BH response in the frontal-superior medial cortex (FSMC) was observed; as well as a significant reduction in latency in the putamen, the caudate nucleus and the FSMC