Trinity College, University of Dublin.
Monash University.
J Cogn Neurosci. 2019 Jul;31(7):1044-1053. doi: 10.1162/jocn_a_01393. Epub 2019 Mar 18.
Recent behavioral modeling and pupillometry studies suggest that neuromodulatory arousal systems play a role in regulating decision formation but neurophysiological support for these observations is lacking. We employed a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover design to probe the impact of pharmacological enhancement of catecholamine levels on perceptual decision-making. Catecholamine levels were manipulated using the clinically relevant drugs methylphenidate and atomoxetine, and their effects were compared with those of citalopram and placebo. Participants performed a classic EEG oddball paradigm that elicits the P3b, a centro-parietal potential that has been shown to trace evidence accumulation, under each of the four drug conditions. We found that methylphenidate and atomoxetine administration shortened RTs to the oddball targets. The neural basis of this behavioral effect was an earlier P3b peak latency, driven specifically by an increase in its buildup rate without any change in its time of onset or peak amplitude. This study provides neurophysiological evidence for the catecholaminergic enhancement of a discrete aspect of human decision-making, that is, evidence accumulation. Our results also support theoretical accounts suggesting that catecholamines may enhance cognition via increases in neural gain.
最近的行为建模和瞳孔测量研究表明，神经调质唤醒系统在调节决策形成中起作用，但缺乏神经生理学支持。我们采用随机、双盲、安慰剂对照、交叉设计来探究神经递质水平的药理学增强对感知决策的影响。使用临床相关药物哌甲酯和阿托西汀来操纵神经递质水平，并将其与西酞普兰和安慰剂的效果进行比较。参与者在每种药物条件下都进行了经典的 EEG oddball 范式，该范式引发 P3b，一种中顶叶电位，已被证明可以追踪证据积累。我们发现，哌甲酯和阿托西汀给药缩短了对 oddball 靶标的反应时间。这种行为效应的神经基础是 P3b 峰潜伏期更早，这是由其建立速度的增加驱动的，而没有任何关于其起始时间或峰值幅度的变化。这项研究为儿茶酚胺增强人类决策的一个离散方面（即证据积累）提供了神经生理学证据。我们的结果也支持了一些理论解释，即儿茶酚胺可能通过增加神经增益来增强认知。
