Visual-reward driven changes of movement during action execution.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Motor Control
• Decision-Making

Background:

• Motor decision-making is typically viewed as a sequential process.
• This sequential model may not apply to dynamic environments requiring rapid choices.
• The consideration of non-selected motor options post-movement onset is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if and how non-selected motor options are considered after movement initiation.
• To test the hypothesis that reward changes trigger dynamic reassessment of motor options.

Main Methods:

• A reaching movement task was designed where participants moved towards a target for reward.
• Reward was contingent on arrival precision and distribution along the target.
• On a subset of trials, the reward distribution was altered post-movement onset.

Main Results:

• Participants frequently altered their chosen movements when reward increased after movement onset.
• These movement adjustments occurred faster than average reaction times.
• Movement changes were influenced by both reward alterations and the current motor system state.

Conclusions:

• Motor decision-making can involve dynamic reassessment of options even after movement initiation.
• Reward-based feedback plays a crucial role in modulating ongoing motor behavior.
• The motor system exhibits adaptability, integrating real-time information for flexible action selection.