Motivational state, reward value, and Pavlovian cues differentially affect skilled forelimb grasping in rats

摘要: Motor skills represent high-precision movements performed at optimal speed and accuracy. Such motor are learned with practice over time. Besides practice, effects of motivation have also been shown to influence accuracy movements, suggesting that fast maximize gained reward time as noted in previous studies. In rodents, skilled performance has successfully modeled the grasping task, which animals use their forepaw grasp for sugar pellet rewards through a narrow window. Using pellets, task is inherently tied processes. present study, we three experiments modulating animals' during by changing motivational state, presenting different value ratios, displaying Pavlovian stimuli. We found all studies affected strongest seen due state value. Furthermore, movement, measured success rate, showed strong dependence on well. cues had only minor grasping, but results indicate an inverse Pavlovian-instrumental transfer effect movement speed. These findings broad implications considering increasing system structure, function, recovery after injuries.