Learning to associate specific objects or actions with rewards and remembering the associations are everyday tasks crucial for our flexible adaptation to the environment. These higher-order cognitive processes depend on the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and frontostriatal circuits that connect areas in the frontal lobe with the striatum in the basal ganglia. Both structures are densely innervated by @entity935 (DA) afferents that originate in the midbrain. Although the activity of DA neurons is thought to be important for learning, the exact role of DA transmission in frontostriatal circuits during learning-related tasks is still unresolved. Moreover, the neural substrates of this modulation are poorly understood. Here, we review our recent work in monkeys utilizing local pharmacology of DA agents in the PFC to investigate the cellular mechanisms of DA modulation of associative learning and memory. We show that blocking both D1 and D2 receptors in the lateral PFC impairs learning of new stimulus-response associations and @entity73 , but not the memory of highly familiar associations. In addition, D2 receptors may also contribute to motivation. The @entity4207 correlated with @entity1274 about the associations in PFC neurons, alterations in global excitability and spike synchronization, and exaggerated alpha and beta @entity1274 . Our findings provide new insights into how DA transmission modulates associative learning and memory processes in frontostriatal systems.

Prefrontal XXXX in associative learning and memory.

@entity935 :: ('MESH:D004298', 'Chemical') :: ['dopamine'] @entity73 :: ('MESH:D003072', 'Disease') :: ['cognitive flexibility'] @entity1274 :: ('MESH:D006319', 'Disease') :: ['reductions of neural information', 'neural oscillations'] @entity4207 :: ('MESH:D007859', 'Disease') :: ['learning deficits']
@entity935 :: (MESH:D004298,Chemical) :: ['dopamine']
