Catecholaminergic modulation of cortical decision networks (A07)

• Subject Area: Human Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience
• Term: from 2015 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 178316478

Inference and decision-making are fundamental cognitive capacities emerging from selective neural interactions within the cerebral cortex. These interactions are under strong control of modulatory inputs from brainstem arousal systems. But a comprehensive framework for the modulation of cortical decision networks is lacking. Here, we aim to develop such a framework for the catecholaminergic (noradrenergic and dopaminergic) modulatory systems of the human brain. To this end, we will unravel the range of catecholamine effects on cortical network dynamics and cognition: from boosting inference through transient catecholamine release, to impairments under sustained, excessive catecholamine release under stress.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 936: Multi-Site Communication in the Brain
• Applicant Institution: Universität Hamburg
• Project Head: Professor Dr. Tobias Donner