Effects of Caffeine on Reinforcement Learning in Healthy Adults Using PET/MRI

Summary

This research study aims to determine whether and how caffeine intake affects learning process through reward feedback compared to placebo. The data acquired from this study would improve our understanding on the consequence and mechanism of caffeine intake in the aspect of learning process. Participants will perform a reinforcement learning task (i.e. Probabilistic Selection Task) and a motor inhibition task (i.e. Go/NoGo task) in a brain scan. The scan will be done with the Siemens Biograph mMR positron emission tomography (PET)/ magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) 3 Tesla scanner. The PET allows us to see the changes in the "reward signals" - dopamine - in the brain using a radioactive dye called \[11C\]Raclopride. The MRI, on the other hand, enables us to take detailed pictures of the brain activities during cognitive tasks using a high-powered magnet. Reviewing these pictures will help us understand the influence of caffeine on reward signals and brain activities during the learning process.

Timeline

Start

2023-05-17

Primary completion

2026-12-31

Completion

2026-12-31

Publications

• Background Bedingfield JB, King DA, Holloway FA. Cocaine and caffeine: conditioned place preference, locomotor activity, and additivity. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 1998 Nov;61(3):291-6. doi: 10.1016/s0091-3057(98)00092-6.
• Background Moran EK, Culbreth AJ, Kandala S, Barch DM. From neuroimaging to daily functioning: A multimethod analysis of reward anticipation in people with schizophrenia. J Abnorm Psychol. 2019 Oct;128(7):723-734. doi: 10.1037/abn0000461. Epub 2019 Aug 29.
• Background Volkow ND, Wang GJ, Telang F, Fowler JS, Logan J, Wong C, Ma J, Pradhan K, Tomasi D, Thanos PK, Ferre S, Jayne M. Sleep deprivation decreases binding of [11C]raclopride to dopamine D2/D3 receptors in the human brain. J Neurosci. 2008 Aug 20;28(34):8454-61. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1443-08.2008.
• Background Kaasinen V, Aalto S, Nagren K, Rinne JO. Dopaminergic effects of caffeine in the human striatum and thalamus. Neuroreport. 2004 Feb 9;15(2):281-5. doi: 10.1097/00001756-200402090-00014.
• Background Volkow ND, Wang GJ, Logan J, Alexoff D, Fowler JS, Thanos PK, Wong C, Casado V, Ferre S, Tomasi D. Caffeine increases striatal dopamine D2/D3 receptor availability in the human brain. Transl Psychiatry. 2015 Apr 14;5(4):e549. doi: 10.1038/tp.2015.46.
• Background Ferre S, Bonaventura J, Tomasi D, Navarro G, Moreno E, Cortes A, Lluis C, Casado V, Volkow ND. Allosteric mechanisms within the adenosine A2A-dopamine D2 receptor heterotetramer. Neuropharmacology. 2016 May;104:154-60. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2015.05.028. Epub 2015 Jun 4.

Drugs

Indications

No indication recorded.