The article reviews the complex relationship between dopamine (DA) and cognitive functions such as working memory and cognitive control. It highlights two key factors contributing to the variability in the effects of DA on cognition: the existence of an optimal DA level for cognitive function and the multi-factorial nature of cognitive control. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the striatum are identified as critical brain regions involved in these processes. The PFC is rich in DA receptors and is highly sensitive to DA levels, while the striatum receives strong DA projections and plays a crucial role in updating goal representations. The review discusses how DA levels can modulate cognitive functions in a baseline-dependent manner, with optimal DA levels in the PFC promoting stability and optimal levels in the striatum promoting flexibility. The effects of DA drugs on cognition are often paradoxical, improving performance in some individuals with low baseline DA levels but impairing it in those with high baseline levels. Genetic variations, such as the COMT gene polymorphism, also influence the effects of DA on cognition. The article also explores the role of DA in Parkinson's disease (PD), where DA depletion leads to both impairments in flexible updating and enhanced cognitive stabilization. Overall, the review underscores the dynamic balance between DA levels in different brain regions and their impact on cognitive control processes.The article reviews the complex relationship between dopamine (DA) and cognitive functions such as working memory and cognitive control. It highlights two key factors contributing to the variability in the effects of DA on cognition: the existence of an optimal DA level for cognitive function and the multi-factorial nature of cognitive control. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the striatum are identified as critical brain regions involved in these processes. The PFC is rich in DA receptors and is highly sensitive to DA levels, while the striatum receives strong DA projections and plays a crucial role in updating goal representations. The review discusses how DA levels can modulate cognitive functions in a baseline-dependent manner, with optimal DA levels in the PFC promoting stability and optimal levels in the striatum promoting flexibility. The effects of DA drugs on cognition are often paradoxical, improving performance in some individuals with low baseline DA levels but impairing it in those with high baseline levels. Genetic variations, such as the COMT gene polymorphism, also influence the effects of DA on cognition. The article also explores the role of DA in Parkinson's disease (PD), where DA depletion leads to both impairments in flexible updating and enhanced cognitive stabilization. Overall, the review underscores the dynamic balance between DA levels in different brain regions and their impact on cognitive control processes.