Methylphenidate hydrochloride (ritalin) reduces operant responding in rats by affecting the spatial and temporal distributions of responses.: An article from: The Psychological Record

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From the author: The present experiment was designed to determine if commonly observed high dose stimulant-induced reductions in operant responding can be explained by (a) a simple reduction in the frequency of the operant response or (b) the occurrence of predictable alterations in the spatial and temporal characteristics of the operant response. Nose-poking by rat subjects into a specific 1 of 20 holes (2-cm diameter) on an "intelligence panel" was reinforced on an Fl 60-s schedule. As doses of methylphenidate were increased from 1.0 mg/kg to 15.0 mg/kg, the responses spread to more holes outside the "correct" one and repetitive two- and three-response sequences gradually disappeared with shorter sequences replacing longer ones. These results suggest that methylphenidate reduces the occurrence of "correct" operant responses by causing an induction, where drug-induced spatial and temporal alterations in the response lead to the occurrence of responses that fall outside of the reinforced class of responses. Traditional apparatus for the recording of operant responses typically do not enable observance and analysis of these spatial and temporal alterations in response topography.

Citation Details
Title: Methylphenidate hydrochloride (ritalin) reduces operant responding in rats by affecting the spatial and temporal distributions of responses.
Author: Erik Arntzen
Publication:The Psychological Record (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 1993
Publisher: Psychological Record
Volume: v43 Issue: n2 Page: p223(11)

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