Are there dissociable roles of the mesostriatal and mesolimbocortical dopamine systems on temporal information processing in humans?

Neuropsychobiology. 1997;35(1):36-45. doi: 10.1159/000119328.

Abstract

There is some experimental evidence suggesting that temporal processing of brief duration in the range of milliseconds is based on dopamine (DA)-dependent neural counting mechanisms, whereas processing of longer duration is cognitively mediated. To further elucidate the critical role of DA receptors of the D2 receptor family for temporal information processing in humans, the effects of the 3 mg of haloperidol, 300 mg of sulpiride, and 150 mg of remoxipride were studied in a placebo-controlled double-blind experiment. In addition, concomitant changes in cortical arousal as well as speed of information processing and motor execution were measured. Temporal processing of brief duration was significantly impaired by haloperidol (p < 0.01) but not by sulpiride and remoxipride, whereas processing of longer duration was adversely affected by haloperidol (p < 0.001) as well as remoxipride (p < 0.01) as compared to placebo. The pattern of results in combination with the different pharmacological profiles of the dopaminergic drugs applied in the present study suggests that temporal processing of brief duration is mediated by D2 receptor activity in the mesostriatal system and, thus, point to the basal ganglia as a neuroanatomical structure possibly involved in timing of brief duration. On the other hand, deteriorating effects of D2 receptor blockers on processing of longer duration appear to be due to DA-induced impairment of memory functions which may be mediated by the mesolimbocortical DA system.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Arousal / drug effects
  • Arousal / physiology
  • Attention / drug effects
  • Attention / physiology*
  • Basal Ganglia / drug effects
  • Basal Ganglia / physiology
  • Cerebral Cortex / drug effects
  • Cerebral Cortex / physiology*
  • Corpus Striatum / drug effects
  • Corpus Striatum / physiology*
  • Dopamine / physiology
  • Dopamine Antagonists / pharmacology
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Double-Blind Method
  • Flicker Fusion / drug effects
  • Flicker Fusion / physiology
  • Haloperidol / pharmacology
  • Humans
  • Limbic System / drug effects
  • Limbic System / physiology*
  • Male
  • Mesencephalon / drug effects
  • Mesencephalon / physiology*
  • Neural Pathways / drug effects
  • Neural Pathways / physiology
  • Psychomotor Performance / drug effects
  • Psychomotor Performance / physiology
  • Reaction Time / drug effects
  • Reaction Time / physiology
  • Receptors, Dopamine D2 / drug effects
  • Receptors, Dopamine D2 / physiology
  • Remoxipride / pharmacology
  • Sensory Thresholds / drug effects
  • Sensory Thresholds / physiology
  • Sulpiride / pharmacology
  • Time Perception / drug effects
  • Time Perception / physiology*

Substances

  • Dopamine Antagonists
  • Receptors, Dopamine D2
  • Remoxipride
  • Sulpiride
  • Haloperidol
  • Dopamine