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Methylphenidate enhances executive function and optimizes prefrontal function in both health and cocaine addiction
Scott J Moeller1, Jean Honorio, Dardo Tomasi
1Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973, USA.
Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|November 20, 2012
Summary
Methylphenidate (MPH) impacts brain activity during error processing. This dopamine agonist enhanced careful responding and altered brain responses in both healthy individuals and those with cocaine addiction.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Addiction Research
Background:
- Dopamine is implicated in error monitoring and reinforcement learning.
- Dopamine neurotransmission is altered in cocaine addiction.
- Methylphenidate (MPH) is an indirect dopamine agonist.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if MPH modulates brain and behavioral responses to errors.
- To determine if MPH's effects are more pronounced in cocaine-addicted individuals compared to healthy controls.
- To explore the role of dopamine in cognitive control and error processing.
Main Methods:
- 15 healthy volunteers and 16 cocaine-addicted individuals participated.
- Participants completed a Stroop color word task under functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
- Subjects received either oral methylphenidate (MPH, 20 mg) or placebo in a counterbalanced manner.
Main Results:
- MPH led to fewer errors and increased post-error slowing in all subjects, indicating more careful responding.
- MPH reduced dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) activity during error processing (error>correct) in all participants.
- In cocaine-addicted individuals, MPH also reduced dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) error>correct activity, unlike in controls.
Conclusions:
- Methylphenidate modulates prefrontal cortical areas involved in error processing.
- These modulatory effects of MPH on error processing are accentuated in individuals with cocaine addiction.
- The findings support a significant dopaminergic contribution to error-related processing during cognitive control tasks.
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