ReviewBrain sciences2025
Methylphenidate as a Novel Adjunct in Opioid-Taking Patients: Insights into Dopaminergic Neuroadaptation and Hypoactive Delirium.
Review in Brain sciences, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Withdrawal-Induced Delirium in Opioid Dependence: A Systematic Review.Brain sciences · 2025Review
- Application of a comprehensive sound environment management program to reduce the incidence of delirium in a pediatric intensive care unit: a quasi-experimental study.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background and aim of this review: The ongoing opioid epidemic underscores the urgent need for innovative pharmacological and behavioral interventions to mitigate the impact of opioid use disorder (OUD). This review aims to explore theoretical overlaps between the neurobiological mechanisms underlying OUD development and the pharmacodynamic profile of methylphenidate (MPH). Particular attention is given to the potential shared molecular targets, safety considerations, and therapeutic implications of MPH use in this clinical context. Main finding: In the development of opioid dependence, the negative reinforcement of the dopaminergic transmission of the mesocorticolimbic pathway induced by the supraspinal action of opioid receptor agonists plays a major role. The induced state of hypodopaminergic and hyperadrenergic modulates the underlying disease process by affecting cognitive control, affective regulation, and motivational drive. MPH, acting as a dopamine reuptake inhibitor and modulator of vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT-2), increases extracellular dopamine availability and enhances dopaminergic signaling, suggesting potential utility in restoring dopaminergic tone in OUD. Additionally, MPH has shown efficacy in hypoactive delirium in patients with terminal cancer, improving both cognitive function and psychomotor drive. Conclusions and future perspectives: There appear to be converging neurobiological mechanisms between the action of MPH and the pathophysiology of OUD, particularly within the dopaminergic system. However, well-designed clinical trials are essential to identify the patient subgroups that may benefit from adjunctive MPH treatment, to evaluate its efficacy in this setting, and to assess the long-term safety and risk profile of stimulant use in individuals with OUD.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.