Making sense: Dopamine activates conscious self-monitoring through medial prefrontal cortex.
Morten Joensson, Kristine Rømer Thomsen, Lau M Andersen, Joachim Gross, Kim Mouridsen, Kristian Sandberg, Leif Østergaard, Hans C Lou
Human brain mapping May 1, 2015 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1002/hbm.22742 via PubMed
Summary
Dopamine improves self-awareness and metacognition, the brain's ability to monitor its own cognitive processes. In two experiments, oral administration of 100 mg of dopamine enhanced conscious (noetic) metacognition in minimal self-awareness and improved retrieval accuracy of memories of self-judgment (autonoetic metacognition) in extended self-awareness. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) showed increased oscillatory power in the medial prefrontal cortex, a region critical for self-awareness, explaining dopamine's specific effect on explicit self-awareness and autonoetic metacognition.
Study at a glance
| Design | experimental study |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Dopamine improves explicit self-awareness and autonoetic metacognition, with increased medial prefrontal cortex activity. |
Abstract
When experiences become meaningful to the self, they are linked to synchronous activity in a paralimbic network of self-awareness and dopaminergic activity. This network includes medial prefrontal and medial parietal/posterior cingulate cortices, where transcranial magnetic stimulation may transiently impair self-awareness. Conversely, we hypothesize that dopaminergic stimulation may improve self-awareness and metacognition (i.e., the ability of the brain to consciously monitor its own cognitive processes). Here, we demonstrate improved noetic (conscious) metacognition by oral administration of 100 mg dopamine in minimal self-awareness. In a separate experiment with extended self-awareness dopamine improved the retrieval accuracy of memories of self-judgment (autonoetic, i.e., explicitly self-conscious) metacognition. Concomitantly, magnetoencephalography (MEG) showed increased amplitudes of oscillations (power) preferentially in the medial prefrontal cortex. Given that electromagnetic activity in this region is instrumental in self-awareness, this explains the specific effect of dopamine on explicit self-awareness and autonoetic metacognition.