Catecholaminergic modulation of the cost of cognitive control in healthy older adults

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 15; no. 2; p. e0229294
• Main Authors: Froböse, Monja I., Westbrook, Andrew, Bloemendaal, Mirjam, Aarts, Esther, Cools, Roshan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 21.02.2020; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Adults; Aged; Amino acids; Analysis; Biology and Life Sciences; Catecholamine; Catecholamines; Catecholamines - metabolism; Cognition & reasoning; Cognition - drug effects; Cognition - physiology; Cognitive ability; Cognitive tasks; Costs; Decision making; Decision Making - drug effects; Dopamine; Elderly; Expected values; Female; Healthy Volunteers; Humans; Impulsive behavior; Impulsive Behavior - drug effects; Impulsivity; Male; Medicine and Health Sciences; Memory tasks; Mental task performance; Middle Aged; Motivation; Older people; Phenols (Class of compounds); Physical Sciences; Reinforcement; Short term memory; Social Sciences; Tyrosine; Tyrosine - pharmacology; Netherlands
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0229294

Catecholamines have long been associated with cognitive control and value-based decision-making. More recently, we have shown that catecholamines also modulate value-based decision-making about whether or not to engage in cognitive control. Yet it is unclear whether catecholamines influence these decisions by altering the subjective value of control. Thus, we tested whether tyrosine, a catecholamine precursor altered the subjective value of performing a demanding working memory task among healthy older adults (60-75 years). Contrary to our prediction, tyrosine administration did not significantly increase the subjective value of conducting an N-back task for reward, as a main effect. Instead, in line with our previous study, exploratory analyses indicated that drug effects varied as a function of participants' trait impulsivity scores. Specifically, tyrosine increased the subjective value of conducting an N-back task in low impulsive participants, while reducing its value in more impulsive participants. One implication of these findings is that the over-the-counter tyrosine supplements may be accompanied by an undermining effect on the motivation to perform demanding cognitive tasks, at least in certain older adults. Taken together, these findings indicate that catecholamines can alter cognitive control by modulating motivation (rather than just the ability) to exert cognitive control.