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Updated: Jul 14, 2026
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Three Laboratory Procedures for Assessing Different Manifestations of Impulsivity in Rats
Published on: March 17, 2019
Impulsive personality predicts dopamine-dependent changes in frontostriatal activity during component processes of
Roshan Cools1, Margaret Sheridan, Emily Jacobs
1Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720-3190, USA. roshan.cools@gmail.com
Summary
Individual differences in impulsivity explain how dopamine drugs affect working memory. High-impulsive individuals showed improved cognitive flexibility with bromocriptine, unlike low-impulsive individuals.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Dopaminergic drugs influence cognitive functions, but effects vary significantly between individuals and tasks.
- Paradoxical drug effects, where enhancement and adverse outcomes coexist, are frequently observed.
- Individual differences in personality, particularly impulsivity, are hypothesized to mediate these variable drug responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of individual differences in impulsive personality in modulating the effects of dopaminergic drugs on working memory.
- To examine the relationship between impulsivity, working memory performance, and frontostriatal activity under dopaminergic drug administration.
- To elucidate the specific neural mechanisms underlying the differential cognitive effects of dopamine D2 receptor agonists.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the dopamine D2 receptor agonist bromocriptine to assess effects on working memory.
- Measured behavioral performance on tasks assessing cognitive flexibility (updating/switching) and distraction resistance.
- Employed neuroimaging techniques to examine frontostriatal activity during working memory task components.
- Stratified participants into high-impulsive and low-impulsive groups based on personality assessments.
Main Results:
- Bromocriptine administration enhanced working memory updating (switching) specifically in high-impulsive subjects, with no significant effect in low-impulsive subjects.
- Behavioral improvements in high-impulsive individuals were associated with distinct neural modulations in the striatum and lateral frontal cortex.
- Bromocriptine modulated striatal activity during information switching but not during distraction.
- Conversely, lateral frontal cortex activity was modulated by bromocriptine during distraction but not during switching.
Conclusions:
- Individual differences in impulsivity are a critical determinant of dopaminergic drug effects on working memory.
- Dopamine D2 receptor function, impulsivity, and frontostriatal circuitry are interconnected in regulating working memory processes.
- The findings highlight the potential for personalized medicine approaches in cognitive enhancement strategies targeting dopaminergic pathways.
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