The overall goal of the studies presented in this dissertation is to improve our understanding of dopamine (DA)-associated changes in intertemporal preferences. Understanding these DA-mediated relationships is essential to our understanding of the continuous dimensions of human functioning and the promise of the RDoC framework (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of 2016). Study 1 in this dissertation investigates DAergic modulation of intertemporal choice in healthy adult participants using the DA D2-receptor antagonist haloperidol and state-of-the-art computational approaches to further decompose the decision-process. Study 2 takes behavioral testing beyond the lab into real-life environments and assesses the effects of addiction related environments on intertemporal preferences and model-based reinforcement learning in regular slot machine gamblers. In Study 3 we examine whether patients with Tourette Syndrome show aberrations in intertemporal choice. This is of particular interest because Tourette Syndrome is associated with reward sensitivity and disturbances in DA neurotransmission. In Study 4 we investigate short- and long-term stability of intertemporal preferences as a function of acute and chronic deep brain stimulation in a cohort of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder patients
