How Ritalin acts on our children's brains.

National Laboratory in Upton", default", New York has helped us to understand how RITALIN acts on our children's brains.

"Recent research by Nora Volkow, MD at The Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York has helped us to understand how RITALIN acts on our children's brains. We know through established research that cocaine works by blocking about 50% of the brains dopamine transporters. This allows dopamine to build up in the brain and cause euphoria/pleasure. Volkow predicted that because of RITALIN'S similarity to cocaine, that it would have similar effects on the dopamine, but would block fewer dopamine transporters. Volkow and her colleagues were shocked, to say the least, when they found that the typical dose of 0.5 mg/kg given to children blocked 70% of dopamine transporters.

So why isn't Ritalin as addictive as cocaine in these doses? Because the two drugs differ in the actual time it takes for it to work. Cocaine has immediate effects on dopamine, whereas it takes about an hour for RITALIN to work its magic. Volkow states, 'It is the speed at which you increase dopamine that appears to be a key element of the addiction process'.

Research by Brandon, et al in 2001 showed that RITALIN actually increased a reaction to cocaine in adulthood which means that exposure to Ritalin earlier in life, made exposure to cocaine later in life more addictive. Also, Rush and Baker published a study in the same year showing that the physiological effects of oral cocaine and Ritalin were strikingly similar."

Source: THE HEALTH CRUSADOR NEWS