Researcher ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0001-7164-9080

Graduation Year

2023

Date of Submission

5-2023

Document Type

Open Access Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Chemistry

Second Department

Biology

Reader 1

Bethany Caulkins

Reader 2

Mary Hatcher-Skeers

Abstract

In the United States, the treatment of ADHD through use of psychostimulants in adolescents is a growing reality that many people know today and many more will know in the coming years. Although the effectiveness of psychostimulants is a known asset, the benefits of these medications may not be a permanent solution, suggesting not only the presence of a tolerance build up, but as many stimulants are prescribed in a joint effort to combat ADHD, a possible cross tolerance between two prescribed medications. There are minimal studies published that have addressed the topic of cross stimulation tolerance buildup between prescription amphetamines.

This proposal aims to probe the potential for a cross tolerance build up between multiple commonly prescribed stimulants to a given patient. By varying the concentration of a psychostimulant for a given period of time prior to injection of a structurally-similar amphetamine, this experiment will attempt to effectively determine the extent to which a cross tolerance is acquired between common ADHD combatant drugs. It is expected that rats treated with an initial, constant dose of Amphetamine will demonstrate a concentration-dependent decrease in stimulation within the central nervous system when given methylphenidate when compared to a control group treated with placebo pills followed by the injection of methylphenidate (MPD). This experiment will provide a basis for a possible future experiment using human subjects in the place of rats to establish the presence of a cross tolerance of methylphenidate and amphetamine within humans.

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