Article Review

Article Review
The objective of the current research conducted by Warren, Iñiguez, and Alcantara aims at understanding the effects of combined administration of methylphenidate (MPH) and fluoxetine (FLX) in juveniles (10348). It is vital to highlight that FLX and MPH are used to treat children with ADHD and MDD and are sometimes utilized in combination. However, there are concerns of concomitant drug use among juveniles as a combination of MPH, a stimulant, and FLX, an antidepressant, may induce pharmacodynamics similar to those of cocaine. As such, the research question sets to identify the long-term neurobiological effects of using MPH + FLX treatments in juveniles. In particular, the researchers aimed at investigating on functional receptiveness to rewards, mood-alteration impetuses and examining neural responsiveness. This research is important as it helps elucidate further on the impact of MPH + FLX therapy on juveniles.
The methods and procedures followed a systematical approach. The first step involved treating the sample population with drugs (MPH, FLX, and cocaine). Subsequently, an experimental design was implemented that separated the sample population (in groups of four) into two groups that is, long-term and short-term testing. Successively, place conditioning (for cocaine) followed. The methods and procedures are also incorporated sucrose preface tests, an elevated plus-maze examination, forced swimming, analysis of basal locomotor activity, qPCR, Western blotting, use of viral vectors, animal surgery for histology and transgene detection.

Additionally, statistical analyses using mixed designs such as ANOVA, LSD, and Student’s t-test were employed to define the statistical importance of anticipated contrasts.
The sample population consisted of Sprague-Dawley male rats kept in clear polypropylene containers. The temperature was maintained between 23 and 25ᵒ C. A light-dark phase, 12 hours apart was upheld. Moreover, provision of food and water was done ad-lib. Essentially, all the procedures followed stipulations of the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. The Florida State University Animal Care and Use Committee granted approval for the study.
To ensure validity and reliability of the results, use of instruments in the study followed the manufacturer’s instructions. Additionally, the authors used kits and implements from reputable biotechnological manufacturers. This study incorporates both aspects of a quantitative and qualitative research.
Obtained results were analyzed in four major sets: the outcomes of adolescent MPH, FLX and their combined treatment on reward-associated inducements, aversive impetuses, and ERK signaling. Data analysis in the fourth set sought to scrutinize the setback of MPH + FLX treatment on behavioral deficits in adulthood.
A significant finding from the analysis of the results was that concomitant MPH + FLX treatment subjection throughout pre-teenage hood augments sensitivity to reward-associated impetuses despite the fact that it concurrently increases predisposition to anxious situations. To a limited extent, these anxious behaviors can be related to the long-term interruptions in ERK beckoning in the ventral tegmental.
The importance of the findings from this study cannot be overstated. Fundamentally, these results provide an overview of the possible side effects of prolonged MPH + FLX treatment in humans. It is important to note that a combination of these drugs has been in use to manage young children with ADHD and MDD. Nevertheless, the outcomes of this research were derived from healthy animals. It is possible that a study conducted on animals with ADHD and MDD may give different results. Comparing results from such a study would help improve the current research. Additionally, the absence of a similar study on human subjects introduces challenges of interpretation.

Works Cited
BIBLIOGRAPHY l 2057 Warren, Brandon L., et al. “Juvenile Administration of Concomitant Methylphenidate and Fluoxetine Alters Behavioral Reactivity to Reward- and Moodrelated Stimuli and Disrupts Ventral Tegmental Area Gene Expression in Adulthood.” The Journal of Neuroscience 31.28 (2011): 10347-10358. Online.