Dopamine promotes cognitive effort by biasing the benefits versus costs of cognitive work.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Westbrook A
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7430502 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Dopamine promotes cognitive effort by biasing the benefits versus costs of cognitive work.
Westbrook A A van den Bosch R R Määttä J I JI Hofmans L L Papadopetraki D D Cools R R Frank M J MJ
Science (New York, N.Y.) 20200301 6484
Stimulants such as methylphenidate are increasingly used for cognitive enhancement but precise mechanisms are unknown. We found that methylphenidate boosts willingness to expend cognitive effort by altering the benefit-to-cost ratio of cognitive work. Willingness to expend effort was greater for participants with higher striatal dopamine synthesis capacity, whereas methylphenidate and sulpiride, a selective D2 receptor antagonist, increased cognitive motivation more for participants with lower s ...[more]
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