title: The detection of novelty relies on dopaminergic signaling: evidence from apomorphine's impact on the novelty N2.
abstract: Despite much research, it remains unclear if dopamine is directly involved in novelty detection or plays a role in orchestrating the subsequent cognitive response. This ambiguity stems in part from a reliance on experimental designs where novelty is manipulated and dopaminergic activity is subsequently observed. Here we adopt the alternative approach: we manipulate dopamine activity using apomorphine (D1/D2 agonist) and measure the change in neurological indices of novelty processing. In separate drug and placebo sessions, participants completed a von Restorff task. Apomorphine speeded and potentiated the novelty-elicited N2, an Event-Related Potential (ERP) component thought to index early aspects of novelty detection, and caused novel-font words to be better recalled. Apomorphine also decreased the amplitude of the novelty-P3a. An increase in D1/D2 receptor activation thus appears to potentiate neural sensitivity to novel stimuli, causing this content to be better encoded.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cognitive Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands. m.rangelgomez@vu.nl
authors.forename: Mauricio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rangel-Gomez
authors.forename: Clayton
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hickey
authors.forename: Therese
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: van Amelsvoort
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bet
authors.forename: Martijn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Meeter
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001058:Apomorphine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018491:Dopamine Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D059290:Dopaminergic Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D018913:Event-Related Potentials, P300 / Q000187:drug effects*; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018491:Dopamine Agonists; D001058:Apomorphine