This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The neurotransmitter dopamine (DA) is importantly involved in many cognitive processes , but it is still not clear exactly how. Ongoing studies with Parkinson's patients and computational modeling of network level brain interactions suggest that the level of D2 receptor stimulation in the basal ganglia controls the threshold for initiating a motor response and for updating working memory. We will test this hypothesis more directly in young healthy individuals by administering cabergoline (D2 agonist), haloperidol (D2 antagonist), and placebo. We predict that cabergoline lowers the threshold for initiating motor responses and updating working memory, whereas haloperidol raises this threshold, relative to placebo.
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