In vivo methylphenidate (MPD) administration decreases vesicular monoamine transporter-2 (VMAT-2) immunoreactivity in membrane-associated vesicles isolated from the striata of treated rats while concurrently kinetically upregulating VMAT-2-mediated vesicular dopamine (DA) sequestration. The functional consequences of these MPD-induced effects include an increase in both vesicular DA content and exocytotic DA release. This report describes experiments designed to develop and validate an in vitro MPD model to further elucidate the molecular mechanism(s) underlying the effects of MPD on the VMAT-2 in membrane-associated vesicles. Method development experiments revealed that in vitro MPD incubation of striatal homogenates, but not striatal synaptosomes, increased DA transport velocities and decreased VMAT-2 immunoreactivity in membrane-associated vesicles. An incubation time of 30min with a MPD concentration of 10mM was optimal. Method validation experiments indicated that in vitro MPD incubation kinetically upregulated VMAT-2 in membrane-associated vesicles, increased vesicular DA content, and increased exocytotic DA release. These results reveal that the in vitro MPD incubation model successfully reproduced the salient features of in vivo MPD administration. This in vitro MPD incubation model may provide novel insights into the receptor-mediated mechanism(s) of action of in vivo MPD in the striatum as well as the physiological regulation of vesicular DA sequestration and synaptic transmission. Accordingly, this in vitro model may help to advance the treatment of disorders involving abnormal DA disposition including Parkinson's disease, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and substance abuse.