Publication Date:
2008-12-17
Description:
Models of cognitive control posit a key modulatory role for the pontine locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) system. In nonhuman primates, phasic LC-NE activity confers adaptive adjustments in cortical gain in task-relevant brain networks, and in performance, on a trial-by-trial basis. This model has remained untested in humans. We used the pharmacological agent modafinil to promote low-tonic/high-phasic LC-NE activity in healthy humans performing a cognitive control task during event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Modafanil administration was associated with decreased task-independent, tonic LC activity, increased task-related LC and prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity, and enhanced LC-PFC functional connectivity. These results confirm in humans the role of the LC-NE system in PFC function and cognitive control and suggest a mechanism for therapeutic action of procognitive noradrenergic agents.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Notes: 〈/span〉Minzenberg, Michael J -- Watrous, Andrew J -- Yoon, Jong H -- Ursu, Stefan -- Carter, Cameron S -- MH059883/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/ -- UL1 RR024146/RR/NCRR NIH HHS/ -- New York, N.Y. -- Science. 2008 Dec 12;322(5908):1700-2. doi: 10.1126/science.1164908.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Author address: 〈/span〉Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA. michael.minzenberg@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Record origin:〈/span〉 〈a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19074351" target="_blank"〉PubMed〈/a〉
Keywords:
Adult
;
Benzhydryl Compounds/administration & dosage/*pharmacology
;
Brain Mapping
;
Central Nervous System Stimulants/pharmacology
;
*Cognition/drug effects
;
Female
;
Humans
;
Locus Coeruleus/drug effects/*physiology
;
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
;
Male
;
Neurons/drug effects/physiology
;
Norepinephrine/*metabolism
;
Norepinephrine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins/antagonists &
;
inhibitors/metabolism
;
Prefrontal Cortex/physiology
;
Task Performance and Analysis
Print ISSN:
0036-8075
Electronic ISSN:
1095-9203
Topics:
Biology
,
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Computer Science
,
Medicine
,
Natural Sciences in General
,
Physics
