Novelty exposure induces stronger sensorimotor representations during a manual adaptation task.

ABSTRACT: Active exploration of novel spatial environments enhances memory for subsequently presented explicit, declarative information in humans. These effects have been attributed to novelty promoting dopamine release via mesolimbic dopaminergic pathways in the brain. As procedural motor learning has been linked to dopamine as well, we predict that novelty effects extend to this domain. To test this hypothesis, the present study examined whether spatial novelty exploration benefits subsequent sensorimotor adaptation. Participants explored either two different virtual environments (i.e., novelty condition; n = 210) or two identical environments (i.e., familiar condition; n = 253). They then performed a manual adaptation task in which they had to adapt joystick movements to a visual perturbation. We

SUBMITTER: Ruitenberg MFL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9305111 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature