Role of dopamine in cognitive control: Insights from pharmacological neuroimaging
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1
Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands
Our constantly changing environment requires a dynamic balance between cognitive flexibility and cognitive stability. How do we regulate this balance? We tested the hypothesis that changes in dopamine may shift the balance between cognitive flexibility and stability by modulating striatal and frontal activity respectively. To this end, we assessed the neural effects of dopamine receptor stimulation in young healthy volunteers with fMRI and the behavioral effects of common anti-parkinson medication in patients with Parkinson's disease. A paradigm was employed that allowed the separate investigation of cognitive flexibility (switching) and cognitive stability (distractor-resistence in working memory). Results revealed that dopamine receptor stimulation modulated striatal activity during switching, but frontal activity during distraction. Furthermore, striatal dopamine depletion in patients with Parkinson's disease off their normal medication was associated with numerically larger switch-costs, and significantly smaller distractor-costs. The abnormal distractor-resistence in patients off their medication may reflect over-focusing on currently relevant information. Based on the above-mentioned fMRI study, we hypothesize that this effect reflects up-regulation of frontal dopamine. Dopaminergic medication restored performance, probably by normalizing the balance between striatal and frontal dopamine. These data suggest that the balance between cognitive flexibility and stability might be subserved by a dynamic and reciprocal relationship between dopamine in the striatum and dopamine in the frontal cortex.
Conference:
10th International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience, Bodrum, Türkiye, 1 Sep - 5 Sep, 2008.
Presentation Type:
Oral Presentation
Topic:
Symposium 8: Dopaminergic modulation of memory and
cognitive control
Citation:
Cools
R
(2008). Role of dopamine in cognitive control: Insights from pharmacological neuroimaging.
Conference Abstract:
10th International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience.
doi: 10.3389/conf.neuro.09.2009.01.039
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Received:
27 Nov 2008;
Published Online:
27 Nov 2008.
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Correspondence:
Roshan Cools, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands, roshan.cools@fcdonders.ru.nl