A multi-faceted role of dual-state dopamine signaling in working memory, attentional control, and intelligence
Genetic evidence strongly suggests that individual differences in intelligence will not be reducible to a single dominant cause. However, some of those variations/changes may be traced to tractable, cohesive mechanisms. One such mechanism may be the balance of dopamine D1 (D1R) and D2 (D2R) receptor...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-02-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1060786/full |
| _version_ | 1797905202274107392 |
|---|---|
| author | Louis D. Matzel Bruno Sauce |
| author_facet | Louis D. Matzel Bruno Sauce |
| author_sort | Louis D. Matzel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Genetic evidence strongly suggests that individual differences in intelligence will not be reducible to a single dominant cause. However, some of those variations/changes may be traced to tractable, cohesive mechanisms. One such mechanism may be the balance of dopamine D1 (D1R) and D2 (D2R) receptors, which regulate intrinsic currents and synaptic transmission in frontal cortical regions. Here, we review evidence from human, animal, and computational studies that suggest that this balance (in density, activity state, and/or availability) is critical to the implementation of executive functions such as attention and working memory, both of which are principal contributors to variations in intelligence. D1 receptors dominate neural responding during stable periods of short-term memory maintenance (requiring attentional focus), while D2 receptors play a more specific role during periods of instability such as changing environmental or memory states (requiring attentional disengagement). Here we bridge these observations with known properties of human intelligence. Starting from theories of intelligence that place executive functions (e.g., working memory and attentional control) at its center, we propose that dual-state dopamine signaling might be a causal contributor to at least some of the variation in intelligence across individuals and its change by experiences/training. Although it is unlikely that such a mechanism can account for more than a modest portion of the total variance in intelligence, our proposal is consistent with an array of available evidence and has a high degree of explanatory value. We suggest future directions and specific empirical tests that can further elucidate these relationships. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T10:01:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8ef5334c37294b4ea1c32ecc2044907c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5153 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T10:01:21Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-8ef5334c37294b4ea1c32ecc2044907c2023-02-16T07:40:11ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience1662-51532023-02-011710.3389/fnbeh.2023.10607861060786A multi-faceted role of dual-state dopamine signaling in working memory, attentional control, and intelligenceLouis D. Matzel0Bruno Sauce1Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, United StatesDepartment of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, NetherlandsGenetic evidence strongly suggests that individual differences in intelligence will not be reducible to a single dominant cause. However, some of those variations/changes may be traced to tractable, cohesive mechanisms. One such mechanism may be the balance of dopamine D1 (D1R) and D2 (D2R) receptors, which regulate intrinsic currents and synaptic transmission in frontal cortical regions. Here, we review evidence from human, animal, and computational studies that suggest that this balance (in density, activity state, and/or availability) is critical to the implementation of executive functions such as attention and working memory, both of which are principal contributors to variations in intelligence. D1 receptors dominate neural responding during stable periods of short-term memory maintenance (requiring attentional focus), while D2 receptors play a more specific role during periods of instability such as changing environmental or memory states (requiring attentional disengagement). Here we bridge these observations with known properties of human intelligence. Starting from theories of intelligence that place executive functions (e.g., working memory and attentional control) at its center, we propose that dual-state dopamine signaling might be a causal contributor to at least some of the variation in intelligence across individuals and its change by experiences/training. Although it is unlikely that such a mechanism can account for more than a modest portion of the total variance in intelligence, our proposal is consistent with an array of available evidence and has a high degree of explanatory value. We suggest future directions and specific empirical tests that can further elucidate these relationships.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1060786/fulldopamineintelligenceworking memoryattentionreceptor subtypesbehavioral genetics |
| spellingShingle | Louis D. Matzel Bruno Sauce A multi-faceted role of dual-state dopamine signaling in working memory, attentional control, and intelligence Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience dopamine intelligence working memory attention receptor subtypes behavioral genetics |
| title | A multi-faceted role of dual-state dopamine signaling in working memory, attentional control, and intelligence |
| title_full | A multi-faceted role of dual-state dopamine signaling in working memory, attentional control, and intelligence |
| title_fullStr | A multi-faceted role of dual-state dopamine signaling in working memory, attentional control, and intelligence |
| title_full_unstemmed | A multi-faceted role of dual-state dopamine signaling in working memory, attentional control, and intelligence |
| title_short | A multi-faceted role of dual-state dopamine signaling in working memory, attentional control, and intelligence |
| title_sort | multi faceted role of dual state dopamine signaling in working memory attentional control and intelligence |
| topic | dopamine intelligence working memory attention receptor subtypes behavioral genetics |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1060786/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT louisdmatzel amultifacetedroleofdualstatedopaminesignalinginworkingmemoryattentionalcontrolandintelligence AT brunosauce amultifacetedroleofdualstatedopaminesignalinginworkingmemoryattentionalcontrolandintelligence AT louisdmatzel multifacetedroleofdualstatedopaminesignalinginworkingmemoryattentionalcontrolandintelligence AT brunosauce multifacetedroleofdualstatedopaminesignalinginworkingmemoryattentionalcontrolandintelligence |