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Errors as a Means of Reducing Impulsive Food Choice
Published on: June 5, 2016
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C. elegans food choice exhibits effort discounting-like behavior
Jonathan R M Millet1, Serge Faumont1, Aaron B Schatz1
1Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, United States.
Elife
|December 1, 2025
Summary
The nematode C. elegans displays effort discounting, devaluing harder-to-consume food, similar to economic models. This finding expands the known phylogenetic scope of cost-benefit decision-making in animals.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Economics
- Neurobiology
- Invertebrate Zoology
Background:
- Cost-benefit decisions are fundamental to behavior across species.
- Economists model decision-making using "discounting behavior," where reward value decreases with associated costs.
- The evolutionary origins and phylogenetic distribution of discounting behavior are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether the nematode C. elegans exhibits effort discounting behavior.
- To explore the phylogenetic limits of cost-benefit decision-making.
- To identify potential neural mechanisms underlying discounting in an invertebrate model.
Main Methods:
- Presented C. elegans with choices between food sources of varying consumption difficulty.
- Quantified worm behavior, including patch leaving rates and food preference.
- Investigated the role of dopamine signaling by examining mutant strains with deficits.
Main Results:
- C. elegans demonstrated effort discounting, devaluing more difficult food options as predicted by economic models.
- Behavioral analysis revealed differential rates of leaving food patches as a key mechanism.
- Disruptions in dopamine signaling impaired this discounting behavior, mirroring findings in rodents.
Conclusions:
- C. elegans exhibits a form of cost-benefit decision-making analogous to effort discounting.
- This study establishes C. elegans as a viable invertebrate model for studying discounting behavior.
- The findings extend the known phylogenetic range of discounting behavior, suggesting deeper evolutionary roots.
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