Abstract
Rationale
Post-error slowing has long been considered a sign of healthy error detection and an important component of cognitive function. However, the neuropharmacological processes underlying post-error slowing are poorly understood.
Objectives
This study investigated the effect of the dopamine agonist d-amphetamine on post-error slowing and secondarily, the potential mediator of drug-induced euphoria and potential moderators of personality and baseline task performance.
Methods
Healthy male and female participants (N = 110) completed four study sessions, at which d-amphetamine (placebo 5, 10, 20 mg) was administered under double-blind, counter-balanced conditions. At each session, participants completed subjective drug effect assessments and a working memory task (N-back) to measure post-error slowing. They completed the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ) during screening.
Results
Amphetamine (20 mg) reduced post-error slowing, consistent with a dampened behavioral reactivity to errors. This was not related to drug-induced euphoria. Although higher scores on MPQ constraint were related to less post-error slowing under placebo conditions, neither personality nor baseline cognitive performance moderated the effects of amphetamine on post-error slowing.
Conclusions
The finding that amphetamine reduced post-error slowing supports the idea that dopamine plays a role in error stimulus processing. The finding is discussed in relation to an existing literature on the mechanisms and function of behavioral and electrophysiological indices of error sensitivity.
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Acknowledgments
A. Yang was supported by NIDA DA021336 (PI: A.A. Palmer), H. de Wit by DA02812 (PI: H. de Wit), and M. Wardle by T32 DA007255. The authors report no biomedical interests or potential conflicts of interest.
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Wardle, M.C., Yang, A. & de Wit, H. Effect of d-amphetamine on post-error slowing in healthy volunteers. Psychopharmacology 220, 109–115 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-011-2462-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-011-2462-6