Dopamine release in nucleus accumbens during rewarded task switching measured by [11C]raclopride

•A single dynamic [11C]raclopride PET scan examined DA release during reward.•High-resolution OSEM reconstruction enabled analyses of striatal subdivisions.•DA release in nucleus accumbens increased during a rewarded executive task.•The change in nucleus accumbens DA release predicted task performance.

Reward and motivation have positive influences on cognitive-control processes in numerous settings. Models of reward implicate corticostriatal loops and the dopamine (DA) system, with special emphasis on D2 receptors in nucleus accumbens (NAcc). In this study, 11 right-handed males (35-40 years) were scanned with positron emission tomography (PET) in a single [11C]raclopride dynamic scan during rewarded and non-rewarded task switching. Rewarded task switching (relative to baseline task switching) decreased [11C]raclopride binding in NAcc. Decreasing NAcc [11C]raclopride binding was strongly associated with task reaction time measures that reflect individual differences in effort and control strategies. Voxelwise analyses additionally revealed reward-related DA release in anterodorsal caudate, a region previously associated with task-switching. These PET findings provide evidence for striatal DA release during motivated cognitive control, and further suggest that NAcc DA release predicts the task reaction time benefits of reward incentives.