D2/D3 dopamine supports the precision of mental state inferences and self-relevance of joint social outcomes

TY - JOUR

T1 - D2/D3 dopamine supports the precision of mental state inferences and self-relevance of joint social outcomes

AU - Barnby, J. M.

AU - Bell, V.

AU - Deeley, Q.

AU - Mehta, M.

AU - Moutoussis, M.

PY - 2023/5/31

Y1 - 2023/5/31

N2 - Striatal dopamine is important to paranoid attributions, although its computational role in social inference remains elusive. We employed a simple game theoretic paradigm and computational model of intentional attributions to investigate the effects of dopamine D2/D3 antagonism on ongoing mental state inference following social outcomes. Haloperidol, compared to placebo, enhanced the impact of partner behaviour on beliefs about harmful intent, and increased learning from recent encounters. These alterations caused significant changes to model covariation and negative correlations between self-interest and harmful intent attributions. Our findings suggest haloperidol improves flexibility in model-based beliefs about others and simultaneously reduces the self-relevance of social observations. Our results may reflect the role of D2/D3 dopamine in supporting self-relevant mentalisation. Our data and model bridge theory between general and social accounts of value representation. We demonstrate initial evidence for the sensitivity of our model andshort social paradigm to drug intervention and clinical dimensions, allowingdistinctions between mechanisms that operate across traits and states.

AB - Striatal dopamine is important to paranoid attributions, although its computational role in social inference remains elusive. We employed a simple game theoretic paradigm and computational model of intentional attributions to investigate the effects of dopamine D2/D3 antagonism on ongoing mental state inference following social outcomes. Haloperidol, compared to placebo, enhanced the impact of partner behaviour on beliefs about harmful intent, and increased learning from recent encounters. These alterations caused significant changes to model covariation and negative correlations between self-interest and harmful intent attributions. Our findings suggest haloperidol improves flexibility in model-based beliefs about others and simultaneously reduces the self-relevance of social observations. Our results may reflect the role of D2/D3 dopamine in supporting self-relevant mentalisation. Our data and model bridge theory between general and social accounts of value representation. We demonstrate initial evidence for the sensitivity of our model andshort social paradigm to drug intervention and clinical dimensions, allowingdistinctions between mechanisms that operate across traits and states.

M3 - Article

SN - 2731-6076

JO - Nature Mental Health

JF - Nature Mental Health

ER -