My research focuses on the actions of certain transmitters in the regulation of behavioral state and state-dependent cognitive processes (working memory, attention). Specifically, we are interested in the catecholamine (i.e. dopamine, norepinephrine) and certain peptide neurotransmitters (CRF, hypocretin) and their actions under normal and stressful conditions. Currently there are 4 main themes: 1) Neurobiology of Waking; 2) Neural Mechanisms of Amphetamine-Induced Arousal; 3) Neurobiology of Low-Dose Methylphenidate (Ritalin): Relevance to ADHD; 4) Neurobiology of stress and coping. Recent work begins to examine the actions of low-dose methylphenidate, hypocretin and CRF on catecholamine neurotransmission within the prefrontal cortex and the electrophysiological and behavioral consequences of these actions. We believe our work with methylphenidate will provide much needed insight into the neural mechanisms underlying both ADHD and the therapeutic actions of a widely-prescribed class of drugs. In all of our work, we take a multidisciplinary approach in which a variety of methods are utilized, including pharmacological, electrophysiological, anatomical, and neurochemical techniques.