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Updated: Jul 8, 2026
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An Automated T-maze Based Apparatus and Protocol for Analyzing Delay- and Effort-based Decision Making in Free Moving Rodents
Published on: August 2, 2018
Motor implementation of context- and reward-based urgency regulation during action-oriented decision making.
Thibault Fumery1, Fostine Chaise1, Anaelle Soille Hambye1
1Institute of Neuroscience, CoActions Lab, Université catholique Louvain, 1200 Brussels, Belgium.
Summary
Urgency in decision-making is influenced by context and reward. Individuals with lower urgency traits rely on context, while those with higher traits focus on reward, impacting motor system regulation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Decision Science
Background:
- Action-oriented decisions are influenced by urgency, which can lead to impulsive choices if poorly regulated.
- Urgency states can be modulated by various factors, including context and reward.
- Understanding the neural mechanisms of urgency regulation is crucial for addressing impulsivity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To dissociate context- and reward-based sources of urgency state regulation.
- To investigate how these regulatory modes are implemented in the motor system.
- To examine the relationship between urgency trait and these regulatory mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Participants (n=20) performed a decision-making task with orthogonal manipulation of contextual demands and reward prospect.
- Single-pulse Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) probed corticospinal excitability in hand and leg muscles.
- Impulsivity was assessed using the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale, focusing on the urgency trait.
Main Results:
- Context-based urgency regulation was more evident in individuals with a lower urgency trait.
- Reward-based urgency regulation was more prominent in individuals with a higher urgency trait.
- Both regulatory modes involved broad motor excitability changes; reward-based regulation also showed surround inhibition.
Conclusions:
- Urgency-related trait impulsivity reflects a differential weighting of influences on the urgency state, not just a higher baseline urgency.
- Context and reward shape action commitment through distinct yet overlapping motor system implementations.
- The findings clarify the neurobiological underpinnings of urgency regulation and its link to impulsivity traits.
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