Dopaminergic modulation of (meta)cognitive dysfunctions associated with psychotic symptomatology: a double-blind study

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Patients with schizophrenia exhibit a number of neuropsychological deficits which, however, are minimally associated with the core productive symptoms of the illness. In recent years, alternative approaches focusing less on basal neuropsychological deficits and more on higher-grade cognitive biases and context processing dysfunctions have emerged. Studies of the latter (meta)cognitive functions in patients with schizophrenia have consistently shown an association with positive and disorganized symptoms. However, it is as yet not clear how these (meta)cognitive dysfunctions relate to the known neurobiological markers of the illness, especially with the dopaminergic hyperactivity postulated to underlie psychotic symptoms. The present study aims to systematically assess the effects of dopaminergic agonists and antagonists on experimental paradigms that have been consistently reported to correlate with positive and disorganized symptoms of schizophrenia. To this purpose, fourty healthy individuals will be tested upon administration of L-Dopa, Haloperidol, or placebo within a repeated measures, randomized, double-blind design. The study will hopefully provide new insights into the biopsychopathological processes underlying the core symptoms of schizophrenia, as well as incentives for the development of therapeutic interventions targeting dopamine-related cognitive processes.