Methylphenidate boosts choices of mental labor over leisure depending on striatal dopamine synthesis capacity.

ABSTRACT: The cognitive enhancing effects of methylphenidate are well established, but the mechanisms remain unclear. We recently demonstrated that methylphenidate boosts cognitive motivation by enhancing the weight on the benefits of a cognitive task in a manner that depended on striatal dopamine. Here, we considered the complementary hypothesis that methylphenidate might also act by changing the weight on the opportunity cost of a cognitive task, that is, the cost of foregoing alternative opportunity. To this end, 50 healthy participants (25 women) completed a novel cognitive effort-discounting task that required choices between task and leisure. They were tested on methylphenidate, placebo, as well as the selective D2-receptor agent sulpiride, the latter to strengthen inference about dopamine rec

SUBMITTER: Hofmans L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7784967 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature