Responsible use of psychostimulants Psychostimulants have a place in the therapy of attentional disorders. However, they are also widely used off-label to enhance cognitive performance, and their mechanisms of action remain elusive. Westbrook et al. studied the effects of these drugs and concurrently measured striatal dopamine synthesis capacity in young, healthy participants (see the Perspective by Janes). They administered a placebo, methylphenidate (a dopamine and noradrenaline reuptake blocker), and sulpiride (a selective D2 receptor antagonist) while participants made explicit cost-benefit decisions about whether to engage in cognitive effort. Higher dopamine synthesis capacity in the caudate nucleus was associated with greater willingness to allocate cognitive effort. In addition, methylphenidate and sulpiride increased subjective values and motivation to work specifically for people with low dopamine synthesis capacity. Cognition-enhancing drugs may thus act at the motivational level rather than directly boosting cognition per se. Science, this issue p. 1362; see also p. 1300 Striatal dopamine increases cognitive effort by amplifying and attenuating the subjective benefits and costs, respectively, of cognitive control. Stimulants such as methylphenidate are increasingly used for cognitive enhancement but precise mechanisms are unknown. We found that methylphenidate boosts willingness to expend cognitive effort by altering the benefit-to-cost ratio of cognitive work. Willingness to expend effort was greater for participants with higher striatal dopamine synthesis capacity, whereas methylphenidate and sulpiride, a selective D2 receptor antagonist, increased cognitive motivation more for participants with lower synthesis capacity. A sequential sampling model informed by momentary gaze revealed that decisions to expend effort are related to amplification of benefit-versus-cost information attended early in the decision process, whereas the effect of benefits is strengthened with higher synthesis capacity and by methylphenidate. These findings demonstrate that methylphenidate boosts the perceived benefits versus costs of cognitive effort by modulating striatal dopamine signaling.

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多巴胺通过偏向认知工作的收益与成本来促进认知努力

负责任地使用精神兴奋剂 精神兴奋剂在注意力障碍的治疗中占有一席之地。然而，它们也被广泛用于标签外以提高认知能力，它们的作用机制仍然难以捉摸。威斯布鲁克等人。研究了这些药物的作用，同时测量了年轻、健康参与者的纹状体多巴胺合成能力（参见 Janes 的观点）。他们给予安慰剂、哌醋甲酯（一种多巴胺和去甲肾上腺素再摄取阻滞剂）和舒必利（一种选择性 D2 受体拮抗剂），而参与者就是否参与认知努力做出明确的成本效益决定。尾状核中较高的多巴胺合成能力与更愿意分配认知努力有关。此外，哌醋甲酯和舒必利增加了主观价值和积极性，专门为多巴胺合成能力低的人工作。因此，认知增强药物可能在动机层面起作用，而不是直接提高认知本身。科学，这个问题 p。第1362章 另见第 1300 纹状体多巴胺通过分别放大和减弱认知控制的主观收益和成本来增加认知努力。哌甲酯等兴奋剂越来越多地用于增强认知能力，但确切的机制尚不清楚。我们发现哌醋甲酯通过改变认知工作的收益成本比提高了花费认知努力的意愿。纹状体多巴胺合成能力较高的参与者愿意付出更大的努力，而哌甲酯和舒必利，一种选择性 D2 受体拮抗剂，为合成能力较低的参与者增加了更多的认知动机。由瞬时凝视提供的顺序抽样模型显示，花费精力的决定与决策过程早期参与的收益与成本信息的放大有关，而收益的影响随着更高的合成能力和哌甲酯而得到加强。这些发现表明，哌醋甲酯通过调节纹状体多巴胺信号，提高了认知努力的感知收益与成本。由瞬时凝视提供的顺序抽样模型显示，花费精力的决定与决策过程早期参与的收益与成本信息的放大有关，而收益的影响随着更高的合成能力和哌甲酯而得到加强。这些发现表明，哌甲酯通过调节纹状体多巴胺信号，提高了认知努力的感知收益与成本。由瞬时凝视提供的顺序抽样模型显示，花费精力的决定与决策过程早期参与的收益与成本信息的放大有关，而收益的影响随着更高的合成能力和哌甲酯而得到加强。这些发现表明，哌醋甲酯通过调节纹状体多巴胺信号，提高了认知努力的感知收益与成本。