Jahfari, S.
Cognitive Science Center Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
How does the brain regulate the need for control? Recent literature has identified key cortical and sub-cortical areas involved in response inhibition and proactive control in anticipation of a stop. At the same time, several studies have shown that dopamine in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) modulates core cognitive processes such as working memory and executive control. For example, the genetic variability of the catechol-O-methyltransverase (COMT) gene has been related to cognitive flexibility for individuals with low levels of dopamine in the PFC (val/val homozygotes), and to cognitive stability for individuals with high levels of dopamine in the PFC (val/met homozygotes). However, little is known about the impact of response strategies on proactive control, or how the variability of dopamine in the PFC might help explain the observed individual differences. During this talk, I will present some initial fMRI connectivity data on brain networks essential for the process of cognitive control, and discuss some recent findings suggesting that genetic differences in the COMT val158 polymorphism affect the behavioral- and key neural indices that underlie proactive control and response inhibition.