TY  - JOUR
SP  - 86
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00467.2021
KW  - complex sequential motor behavior; motor fusion; motor learning; movement fusion; reward
TI  - The dissociable effects of reward on sequential motor behavior
N2  - Reward has consistently been shown to enhance motor behavior; however, its beneficial effects appear to be largely unspecific.
For example, reward is associated with both rapid and training-dependent improvements in performance, with a mechanistic
account of these effects currently lacking. Here we tested the hypothesis that these distinct reward-based improvements are
driven by dissociable reward types: monetary incentive and performance feedback. Whereas performance feedback provides information on how well a motor task has been completed (knowledge of performance), monetary incentive increases the motivation to perform optimally without providing a performance-based learning signal. Experiment 1 showed that groups who received
monetary incentive rapidly improved movement times (MTs), using a novel sequential reaching task. In contrast, only groups with
correct performance-based feedback showed learning-related improvements. Importantly, pairing both maximized MT performance gains and accelerated movement fusion. Fusion describes an optimization process during which neighboring sequential
movements blend together to form singular actions. Results from experiment 2 served as a replication and showed that fusion
led to enhanced performance speed while also improving movement efficiency through increased smoothness. Finally, experiment 3 showed that these improvements in performance persist for 24 h even without reward availability. This highlights the dissociable impact of monetary incentive and performance feedback, with their combination maximizing performance gains and
leading to stable improvements in the speed and efficiency of sequential actions./
NEW & NOTEWORTHY Our work provides a mechanistic framework for how reward influences motor behavior. Specifically, we
show that rapid improvements in speed and accuracy are driven by reward presented in the form of money, whereas knowledge
of performance through performance feedback leads to training-based improvements. Importantly, combining both maximized
performance gains and led to improvements in movement quality through fusion, which describes an optimization process during
which sequential movements blend into a single action.
VL  - 128
SN  - 0022-3077
N1  - Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution CC-BY 4.0.
ID  - discovery10166154
AV  - public
EP  - 104
JF  - Journal of Neurophysiology
IS  - 1
PB  - AMER PHYSIOLOGICAL SOC
A1  - Sporn, Sebastian
A1  - Chen, Xiuli
A1  - Galea, Joseph M
Y1  - 2022/07//
ER  -