Levodopa enhances explicit new-word learning in healthy adults: a preliminary study
Leanne Shellshear
UQ Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Division of Speech Pathology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorAnna D. MacDonald
UQ Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorJeffrey Mahoney
UQ Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorEmma Finch
School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Division of Speech Pathology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorKatie McMahon
UQ Centre for Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorPeter Silburn
UQ Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorPradeep J. Nathan
Brain Mapping Unit, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
David A. Copland
UQ Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Division of Speech Pathology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Correspondence to: D. Copland, Associate Professor, The University of Queensland, UQ Centre for Clinical Research, Brisbane, 4029, Australia. Tel: +61 7 3346 5539; Fax: +61 7 3346 5599 E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorLeanne Shellshear
UQ Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Division of Speech Pathology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorAnna D. MacDonald
UQ Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorJeffrey Mahoney
UQ Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorEmma Finch
School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Division of Speech Pathology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorKatie McMahon
UQ Centre for Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorPeter Silburn
UQ Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorPradeep J. Nathan
Brain Mapping Unit, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
David A. Copland
UQ Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Division of Speech Pathology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Correspondence to: D. Copland, Associate Professor, The University of Queensland, UQ Centre for Clinical Research, Brisbane, 4029, Australia. Tel: +61 7 3346 5539; Fax: +61 7 3346 5599 E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Objective
While the role of dopamine in modulating executive function, working memory and associative learning has been established; its role in word learning and language processing more generally is not clear. This preliminary study investigated the impact of increased synaptic dopamine levels on new-word learning ability in healthy young adults using an explicit learning paradigm.
Method
A double-blind, placebo-controlled, between-groups design was used. Participants completed five learning sessions over 1 week with levodopa or placebo administered at each session (five doses, 100 mg). Each session involved a study phase followed by a test phase. Test phases involved recall and recognition tests of the new (non-word) names previously paired with unfamiliar objects (half with semantic descriptions) during the study phase.
Results
The levodopa group showed superior recall accuracy for new words over five learning sessions compared with the placebo group and better recognition accuracy at a 1-month follow-up for words learnt with a semantic description.
Conclusions
These findings suggest that dopamine boosts initial lexical acquisition and enhances longer-term consolidation of words learnt with semantic information, consistent with dopaminergic enhancement of semantic salience. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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