The effects of dopamine on components of working memory.

描述（由申请人提供）：该项目旨在了解多巴胺（DA）与高级认知功能（包括工作记忆（WM）和执行控制）之间的关系。 DA 激动剂对依赖于这些高级认知功能的任务的影响将在具有不同程度的 WM 能力的健康人类受试者中进行探索。多巴胺和 WM 之间的关系很复杂，DA 激动剂的作用取决于基线 WM 能力。在使用多巴胺激动剂后，将使用功能磁共振成像（fMRI）对健康年轻人进行这种关系的研究，以研究 DA 在认知效率和自上而下调节中的作用。作为更大规模研究的一部分，正电子发射断层扫描 (PET) 神经化学成像也将用于研究 DA 对认知影响的药理学机制。 DA 对于多种神经行为障碍（如帕金森病、注意力缺陷多动障碍、精神分裂症和药物成瘾）的病因学至关重要。对 DA 和认知之间关系的进一步了解应该可以促进我们对这些疾病中认知和行为缺陷的机制的理解，并提供针对使用针对特定神经递质系统的药物治疗此类缺陷的新方法的见解。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project is directed towards understanding the relationship between dopamine (DA) and higher cognitive function, including working memory (WM) and executive control. The effects of DA agonists on tasks that depend on these higher cognitive functions will be explored in healthy human subjects with varying degrees of WM capacity. The relationship between dopamine and WM is complex, with the effects of DA agonists depending on baseline WM capacity. This relationship will be investigated using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in healthy young individuals after the administration of a dopamine agonist to study the role of DA in cognitive efficiency and top-down modulation. As part of a larger study, positron emission tomography (PET) neurochemical imaging will also be utilized to study pharmacological mechanisms underlying these effects of DA on cognition. DA is of fundamental importance to the etiology of a wide variety of neurobehavioral disorders such as Parkinson's disease, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia and drug addiction. A further understanding of the relationship between DA and cognition should advance our understanding of the mechanisms underlying cognitive and behavioral deficits in these disorders and provide insight into novel approaches to treating such deficits with medications targeted at specific neurotransmitter systems.