Brain adjustment – The daily blog of behavioral and cognitive economics

Dopamine Surge Boosts Brain’s Ability to Adapt

For the first time, researchers have directly observed dopamine release in the human brain during moments of cognitive flexibility. Using PET imaging, they found that dopamine levels spike in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex when people switch between tasks — and the more dopamine released, the more efficiently they adapted. This confirms a biochemical link between dopamine and the brain’s ability to adjust behavior in response to changing demands. The discovery may help refine treatments for disorders like Parkinson’s, depression, ADHD, and schizophrenia, which often impair flexible thinking. ….[READ]