Water is to be present at all times and the same amount food to be given to each rat twice daily at the same time, to reduce variability.
The next step will be to ensure that all of the rats begin with a regulated circadian cycle, thus a 12:12 light-dark (LD) photo training will be imposed. The initial 5–7 days are to be used for acclimation. This LD cycle will be used for the duration of the experiment as a source to later confirm that Ritalin is causing disrupted circadian rhythms, not varying light cycles. Circadian rhythms will be measured by using a wheel-running activity first applied by Michael Verwey’s team [3]. Daily wheel running recordings will provide information about superchiasmatic nucleus (SCN)