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Abstract. The dopamine (DA) system has been implicated in the mediation of cost/benefit evaluations involved in the intertemporal choices between immediate and delayed rewards. This involvement was further investigated in two studies of normal participants that had to decide between a smaller immediate and a larger delayed reward in a series of 27 decisions.In study 1 the dopamine D2/D3 receptor agonist pramipexole or placebo were administered in a double-blind cross-over protocol prior to the decisions. In study 2 the same experiment was conducted in two groups of normal participants that were homozygous for either the 7repeat or the 4 repeat variant of the exon III polymorphism of the Dopamine D4 receptor gene. Dopaminergic involvement is highlighted by the results.

Novel rehabilitation interventions have improved motor recovery by induction of neural plasticity in individuals with stroke. Of these, Music-supported therapy (MST) is based on music training designed to restore motor deficits. Music training requires multimodal processing, involving the integration and co-operation of visual, motor, auditory, affective and cognitive systems. The main objective of this study was to assess, in a group of 20 individuals suffering from chronic stroke, the motor, cognitive, emotional and neuroplastic effects of MST. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) we observed a clear restitution of both activity and connectivity among auditory-motor regions of the affected hemisphere. Importantly, no differences were observed in this functional network in a healthy control group, ruling out possible confounds such as repeated imaging testing. Moreover, this increase in activity and connectivity between auditory and motor regions was accompanied by a functional improvement of the paretic hand. The present results confirm MST as a viable intervention to improve motor function in chronic stroke individuals.