Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Central beta-adrenergic modulation of cognitive flexibility.

David Q Beversdorf1, Dawn M White, Daquesha C Chever

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Health Science Center, Denver, CO 80262, USA.

Neuroreport
|December 25, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Beta-blockers like propranolol may enhance cognitive flexibility by acting centrally. This research suggests the noradrenergic system

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Reply to Booij, Geurts and Schalbroeck.

Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research·2026
Same author

Electrophysiological markers of altered affective information processing in post-traumatic stress disorder.

Brain research·2026
Same author

A Preliminary Investigation of Dopamine Transporter Binding Abnormalities in Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research·2025
Same author

Dopaminergic and Noradrenergic Contributions to Divergent and Convergent Creativity Task Performance, a Systematic Review.

Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland)·2025
Same author

The Exceptionalism of Kenneth M. Heilman, MD.

Cognitive and behavioral neurology : official journal of the Society for Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology·2025
Same author

Effect of Maternal Dietary DHA and Prenatal Stress Mouse Model on Autistic-like Behaviors, Lipid Peroxidation Activity, and GABA Expression in Offspring Pups.

International journal of molecular sciences·2025

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychopharmacology

Background:

  • Situational stressors and anxiety can impair cognitive flexibility, crucial for creativity.
  • Previous studies indicated propranolol (a beta-adrenergic antagonist) improved performance on cognitive flexibility tasks more than ephedrine (a beta-adrenergic agonist).
  • Both propranolol and ephedrine possess central and peripheral beta-adrenergic effects, necessitating further investigation into the mediation of these effects.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if the noradrenergic system's modulation of cognitive flexibility is centrally or peripherally mediated.
  • To compare the effects of propranolol (central and peripheral beta-blocker), nadolol (peripheral beta-blocker), and placebo on anagram task performance.

Main Methods:

  • Participants performed an anagram task under three conditions: propranolol, nadolol, or placebo.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Solution latency scores were recorded for each participant in each condition.
  • Latency scores were statistically compared across the different drug treatments.

    • Main Results:

    • Anagram task performance, measured by solution latency, was significantly better after propranolol administration compared to nadolol.
    • Solution latency scores were lower with propranolol than with nadolol, indicating improved cognitive flexibility.

    Conclusions:

    • The findings suggest that the noradrenergic system centrally modulates cognitive flexibility.
    • Beta-adrenergic blockade with propranolol, acting on central receptors, enhances performance on tasks requiring cognitive flexibility.
    • This research highlights the central role of the noradrenergic system in cognitive flexibility.