Work

Evidence for flexible regulation of movement and decision vigor in a reward-oriented task

Year: 2026

Type: preprint

Abstract: The vigor of movement and decision-making is fundamental to many reward-oriented behaviors. While some theories propose that movement and decision are jointly invigorated to maximize a global utility (e.g., mixing reward, effort, and time), alternative perspectives suggest that the brain can separately invigorate them when advantageous. We tested these competing hypotheses using a foraging-like task that allowed experimentally assessing the vigor of movement (reaching to reward location) and that of decision-making (harvesting reward). By using a block-wise design, we measured the effects of independent manipulations of time and effort on reach and harvest durations. Decoupled effects were found on reach and harvest durations, with no inter-individual consistency between them. A model allowing separate, yet inter-dependent, optimizations of movement and decision vigor based on distinct time costs sensitive to recent temporal history predicted these results more accurately than a global utility model. These findings indicate that movement and decision vigor may flexibly depend on whether shared versus distinct time costs underlie behavior; co-regulation would arise when the vigor of movement and decision is governed by a shared time cost but decoupling may emerge when relevant for the task.

Source: eLife

DOI: 10.7554/elife.112677

Authors: Adrien Conessa, Arnaud Boutin, Bastien Berret