Work

Dopamine modulation of motor and implicit learning contributions to auditory temporal attention

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Auditory periodic temporal attention operates optimally around 1.5 Hz when temporal structure is judged explicitly. Synchronized rhythmic movements further enhance its efficacy, an effect thought to depend on basal ganglia dopamine, crucial for both motor and temporal processing. However, whether dopamine underpins the relationship between auditory temporal attention and motor activity remains unclear. Using an auditory temporal attention task in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients ON versus OFF the dopaminergic medication L-DOPA, alongside healthy controls, we found no evidence that dopamine modulates the ∼1.5 Hz optimal sampling rate of auditory temporal attention. However, dopamine enables motor synchronization to the auditory stream and is hence crucial for the motor benefits of auditory temporal attention. Performing the first session ON L-DOPA also improved performance in the following session. These findings underscore a selective role for dopamine in audio-motor interaction, with no evidence that the intrinsic rhythm of auditory attention depends on dopamine.

Source: iScience

DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.117541

Authors: Arnaud Zalta, Lena-Franziska Spitz, Alfons Schnitzler, Benjamin Morillon, Esther Florin

Institutions: Inserm, Aix-Marseille Université, Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

Language: English

Topic: Neuroscience and Music Perception

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,240