Abstract
We used electroencephalography (EEG) together with psychopharmacological stimulation to investigate the role of dopamine in neural oscillations during working memory (WM). Following a within-subjects design, healthy humans either received the dopamine precursor l-Dopa (150. mg) or a placebo before they performed a Sternberg WM paradigm. Here, sequences of sample images had to be memorized for a delay of 5. s in three different load conditions (two, four or six items). On the next day, long-term memory (LTM) for the images was tested. Behaviorally, l-Dopa improved WM and LTM performance as a function of WM load. More precisely, there was a specific drug effect in the four-load condition with faster reaction times to the probe in the WM task and higher corrected hit-rates in the LTM task. During the maintenance period, there was a linear and quadratic effect of WM load on power in the high theta (5-8. Hz) and alpha (9-14. Hz) frequency range at frontal sensors. Importantly, a drug by load interaction - mimicking the behavioral results - was found only in low theta power (2-4. Hz). As such, our results indicate a specific link between prefrontal low theta oscillations, dopaminergic neuromodulation during WM and subsequent LTM performance.
Original language | English |
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Journal | NeuroImage |
Volume | 94 |
Pages (from-to) | 185-192 |
Number of pages | 8 |
ISSN | 1053-8119 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 01.07.2014 |
Research Areas and Centers
- Academic Focus: Center for Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM)