Dopamine D2/D3 receptor binding in the anterior cingulate cortex and executive functioning

The objective was to investigate the association between extrastriatal dopamine D2/D3 receptor binding and performance on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), a measure of executive functioning. Thirty-two healthy volunteers performed the WCST and underwent positron emission tomography and a high-affinity D2/D3 receptor tracer, [11C]FLB 457. All WCST error parameters, in particular nonperseverative errors, correlated positively with [11C]FLB 457 binding in the cognitive division of the right anterior cingulate cortex. An independent voxel-based receptor parametric mapping analysis confirmed these findings. The results indicate that executive functioning in healthy volunteers is modulated by D2/D3 receptors in the anterior cingulate cortex.