Noradrenergic Stimulation Enhances Human Action Monitoring

Noradrenergic neurotransmission has been associated with the modulation of higher cognitive functions mediated by the prefrontal cortex. In the present study, the impact of noradrenergic stimulation on the human action-monitoring system, as indexed by event-related brain potentials, was examined. Af...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of neuroscience 2005-04, Vol.25 (17), p.4370-4374
Main Authors: Riba, Jordi, Rodriguez-Fornells, Antoni, Morte, Adelaida, Munte, Thomas F, Barbanoj, Manel J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists - pharmacology
Adult
Analysis of Variance
Brain Mapping
Brief Communications
Catecholamines
Catecolamines
Cerebral cortex
Conducta (Psicologia)
Double-Blind Method
Electroencephalography - methods
Escorça cerebral
Evoked potentials (Electrophysiology)
Evoked Potentials - drug effects
Evoked Potentials - physiology
Female
Human behavior
Humans
Male
Monitoring, Physiologic
Neuropsychological Tests - statistics & numerical data
Norepinephrine - pharmacology
Potencials evocats (Electrofisiologia)
Prefrontal Cortex - drug effects
Prefrontal Cortex - physiology
Reaction Time - drug effects
Reaction Time - physiology
Yohimbine - pharmacology
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Summary:Noradrenergic neurotransmission has been associated with the modulation of higher cognitive functions mediated by the prefrontal cortex. In the present study, the impact of noradrenergic stimulation on the human action-monitoring system, as indexed by event-related brain potentials, was examined. After the administration of a placebo or the selective alpha2-adrenoceptor antagonist yohimbine, which stimulates firing in the locus ceruleus and noradrenaline release, electroencephalograpic recordings were obtained from healthy volunteers performing a letter flanker task. Yohimbine led to an increase in the amplitude of the error-related negativity in conjunction with a significant reduction of action errors. Reaction times were unchanged, and the drug did not modify the N2 in congruent versus incongruent trials, a measure of preresponse conflict, or posterror adjustments as measured by posterror slowing of reaction time. The present findings suggest that the locus ceruleus-noradrenaline system exerts a rather specific effect on human action monitoring.
ISSN:0270-6474
1529-2401
DOI:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4437-04.2005