Dopamine receptors modulate executive function and neural activity in the prefrontal cortex : insights from studies in non-human primates

Orateur : Victoria PUIG (IMIM, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona)

Higher-order executive tasks such as associative learning, working memory, and behavioral flexibility depend on the prefrontal cortex, the brain region most elaborated in primates. The prefrontal cortex is an associational cortical area that receives remarkably dense inputs from dopamine neurons, suggesting that dopamine exerts powerful influences on its function. In this seminar, I will describe how dopamine, via D1 and D2 receptors (D1R and D2R, respectively), modulates executive function and neural activity in the prefrontal cortex of macaque monkeys. More specifically, I will show that both prefrontal D1R and D2R play a role in modulating learning of new associations and cognitive flexibility, but not the performance of highly familiar associations. Moreover, D2R also seem to influence motivation. Interestingly, D1R and D2R modulate learning-related neural information both at single-neuron and network levels (i.e. alpha and beta oscillatory activity). Taken together, our results strongly suggest that prefrontal D1R and D2R modulate executive function in a cooperative manner.

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