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Persistence of effort in apathy
R Dalléry1, Y Saleh2, S Manohar3
1Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Université Paris Sorbonne, Paris, France; Service de neurologie, centre de référence maladie de Huntington, hôpital Henri-Mondor-Albert-Chenevier, AP-HP, 94010 Créteil, France.
Revue Neurologique
|July 14, 2023
Summary
Apathy, a syndrome impacting quality of life, may stem from reduced goal-directed behavior. This study explores persistence of effort as a key, understudied factor in understanding apathy.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Apathy is increasingly recognized for its high prevalence and negative impact on quality of life in neurological and psychiatric conditions.
- Current understanding of apathy is incomplete, despite several proposed theoretical models.
- Apathy is theorized as a reduction in goal-directed behavior compared to an individual's baseline functioning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the understudied aspect of persistence of activity within the context of apathy.
- To provide a theoretical and experimental overview of persistence in effort.
- To aid in developing methods for investigating persistence in human behavior, particularly in apathy.
Main Methods:
- Review of theoretical models of apathy and persistence.
- Examination of experimental aspects of persistence in effort.
- Conceptual framework for investigating persistence in apathy.
Main Results:
- Persistence of activity, the ability to continue tasks despite challenges, is a crucial but overlooked component of goal-directed behavior.
- Persistence has not been previously investigated in relation to apathy.
- This work lays the groundwork for future research into the role of persistence in apathy.
Conclusions:
- Persistence of effort is a critical, yet understudied, element of goal-directed behavior relevant to apathy.
- Investigating persistence may offer new insights into the mechanisms and treatment of apathy.
- Further research is needed to develop and apply methods for studying persistence in apathy.
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