BACKGROUND: The catecholaminergic system influences response inhibition, but the magnitude of the impact of catecholaminergic manipulation is heterogeneous. Theoretical considerations suggest that the voluntary modulability of theta band activity can explain this variance. The study aimed to investigate to what extent interindividual differences in catecholaminergic effects on response inhibition depend on voluntary theta band activity modulation.

METHODS: N=67 healthy adults were tested in a randomized, double-blind, cross-over study design. On each appointment, they received a single dose of methylphenidate or placebo and performed a Go/Nogo task with stimuli of varying complexity. Before the first appointment the individual's ability to modulate theta band activity was measured. Recorded EEG data were analyzed using temporal decomposition and multivariate-pattern-analysis (MVPA).

RESULTS: Methylphenidate effects and voluntary modulability of theta band activity showed an interactive effect on the false alarm rates of the different Nogo conditions. The MVPA revealed that methylphenidate effects interacted with voluntary modulability of theta band activity at a stimulus processing level, whereas during response selection methylphenidate effects interacted with the complexity of the Nogo condition.

CONCLUSIONS: The findings reveal that the individual's theta band modulability affects the responsiveness of an individual's catecholaminergic system to pharmacological modulation. Thus, the impact of pharmacological manipulation of the catecholaminergic system on cognitive control most likely depends on the existing ability to self-modulate relevant brain oscillatory patterns underlying the cognitive processes being targeted by pharmacological modulations.