Cocaine use does not lead to addiction in every situation, but when it does it can be hard to overcome. A recent Science Daily release focused on a study at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory.

In this brain-scanning study, it was determined that an oral dose of methylphenidate – or Ritalin – can improve brain function and enhance cognitive performance in those who are addicted to cocaine.

This is not to suggest that cocaine addicts get sober more quickly with the use of Ritalin, but instead points to potential treatments. Previous studies in this area showed the use of Ritalin does not decrease cocaine use or prevent relapse, so it cannot be used to treat cocaine addiction directly.

Instead, the use of this drug is applicable to decrease behaviors like risk taking and impulsivity when cocaine is present. It also improves brain function and cognitive performance in conditions that affect the prefrontal cortex of the brain.

If the substance could also have positive effects on cocaine-addicted individuals, it could be useful in treatment to help the addict with his or her impulse control. To find out if this was possible, a group of researchers used fMRI on 13 cocaine users and 14 healthy control subjects.

When compared with cocaine users who were given placebos, cocaine users given a low dose of Ritalin demonstrated improvement in brain functions that resembled the healthy control subjects. While further studies are necessary to test the application of this medicine on cocaine addicts, this study does indicate promise.