Abstract
Successful learning requires the control of attention to monitor performance and compare actual versus expected outcomes. Neural activity in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) has been linked to attention control in animals. However, it is unknown whether the strength of VTA connections is related to conflict monitoring in humans. To study the relationship between VTA connections and conflict monitoring, we acquired diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data on 50 second language learners who we have previously studied. We performed probabilistic tractography to document VTA connections with the dorsal striatum and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and administered the Flanker task in which subjects were required to monitor and report conflicts in visual stimuli. Reaction times (RTs) indexed students’ conflict monitoring. Probabilistic tractography revealed distinct neural connections between the VTA and the dorsal striatum and ACC. Correlational analyses between tractography and flanker RTs revealed that the strength of VTA connections with the left caudate nucleus was negatively correlated with RTs recorded in the presence of conflicts. This provides the first evidence to suggest that VTA connections with the left caudate nucleus are related to conflict monitoring in humans.
Highlights
The cognitive ability to monitor potential conflicts and adjust behavioral performances is crucial for adaptive behavior
We found that the difference in reaction times (RTs) recorded between the congruent and incongruent conditions ( RTs) was significantly correlated with the RTs recorded in the incongruent condition (Pearson’s r = 0.412, p = 0.0014, corrected for multiple comparisons, Figure 1C), but not with the RTs recorded in the congruent condition (p > 0.05)
We evaluated the strength of these connections by using fractional anisotropy (FA) and correlated it with subjects’ performance in the Flanker task
Summary
The cognitive ability to monitor potential conflicts and adjust behavioral performances is crucial for adaptive behavior. It has been shown that bilingual children and adults perform better in conflict monitoring tasks than matched monolingual controls, and this has been attributed to their experience in monitoring differences in different language systems (Bialystok et al, 2005). Zirnheld et al (2004) administered a non-selective dopamine receptor blocker, haloperidol, to healthy volunteers and found that subjects made more errors in detecting and reporting a targeted image 3 h after the treatment (Zirnheld et al, 2004). Another study by Rabella et al (2016) using a different non-selective dopamine receptor blocker, Risperidone, demonstrated a similar behavioral effect on the Flanker task in healthy volunteers (Rabella et al, 2016). Subjects showed increased reaction times (RTs) to detect and report a targeted image after receiving a single-dose of Risperidone
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