Development of a neuronal causal model for mechanisms underlying goal activation processes in 'multitasking'.

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"Multitasking" and cascading of actions play an important role in daily life and is one of the major research areas in general psychology and biological psychology since decades. Despite of this, the neuronal mechanisms mediating these processes are not fully understood. This may be due to correlative nature of studies examining neuronal processes. This project aims to elucidate causal neuronal mechanisms underlying action cascading processes. This is done on a neuroanatomical and neurobiochemical basis in animals. In these experiments the precise neuroanatomical structures important for these processes will be identified using a "molecular Imaging" approach. In a subsequent step, neural transmission in the regions will be manipulated in a pharmacological approach targeting GABA-A, dopamine D1 and D2 receptors. The results of these studies will allow a causal interpretation of the relative relevance of circumscribed neuroanatomical regions and of GABA-A, dopamine D1 and D2 receptors in the basal ganglia. In the sense of a causal model this, research will broaden the mechanistic knowledge of neuronal mechanisms underlying action cascading processes.