Journal
JOURNAL OF NEUROPHYSIOLOGY
Volume 113, Issue 9, Pages 3281-3290Publisher
AMER PHYSIOLOGICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1152/jn.01005.2014
Keywords
single-nucleotide polymorphism; D-2 receptor availability; rule-based learning; information-integration learning
Categories
Funding
- National Institute of Drug Abuse Grant [DA-032457]
- National Institute of Deafness and Other Communications Disorders Grant [R01-DC-013315]
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Adaptive learning from reward and punishment is vital for human survival. Striatal and frontal dopaminergic activities are associated with adaptive learning. For example, the C957T single nucleotide polymorphism of the dopamine receptor D-2 (DRD2) gene alters striatal D-2 receptor availability and affects individuals' adaptive learning ability. Specifically, individuals with the T/T genotype, which is associated with higher striatal D-2 availability, show enhanced learning from negative outcomes. Prior work examining DRD2 genetic variability has focused primarily on frontally mediated reflective learning that is under effortful, conscious control. However, less is known about a more automatic, striatally mediated reflexive learning. Here we examined the extent to which this polymorphism differentially influences reflective and reflexive learning across visual and auditory modalities. We employed rule-based (RB) and information-integration (II) category learning paradigms that target reflective and reflexive learning, respectively. Results revealed an advantage in II category learning but poorer RB category learning in T/T homozygotes. The pattern of results was consistent across sensory modalities. These findings suggest that this DRD2 polymorphism exerts opposite influences on domain-general frontally mediated reflective learning and striatally mediated reflexive learning.
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