Differential Impact of Social and Monetary Reward on Procedural Learning and Consolidation in Aging and Its Structural Correlates.

Christopher E J Doppler,Linda Meyer,Jaro Stühmer-Beckh,Anna Dovern,Gereon R Fink,Peter H Weiss

doi:10.3389/fnagi.2019.00188

Abstract

In young (n = 36, mean ± SD: 24.8 ± 4.5 years) and older (n = 34, mean ± SD: 65.1 ± 6.5 years) healthy participants, we employed a modified version of the Serial Reaction Time task to measure procedural learning (PL) and consolidation while providing monetary and social reward. Using voxel-based morphometry (VBM), we additionally determined the structural correlates of reward-related motor performance (RMP) and PL. Monetary reward had a beneficial effect on PL in the older subjects only. In contrast, social reward significantly enhanced PL in the older and consolidation in the young participants. VBM analyses revealed that motor performance related to monetary reward was associated with larger grey matter volume (GMV) of the left striatum in the young, and motor performance related to social reward with larger GMV of the medial orbitofrontal cortex in the older group. The differential effects of social reward in young (improved consolidation) and both social and monetary rewards in older (enhanced PL) healthy subjects point to the potential of rewards for interventions targeting aging-associated motor decline or stroke-induced motor deficits.

Highlights

The preservation of acquired as well as the acquisition of new motor skills are essential across the entire lifespan
The current voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analyses revealed structural differences in critical regions of the reward system associated with motor performance related to social reward in the older participants as well as with motor performance related to monetary reward and procedural learning in young subjects
Consistent with previous studies examining age effects on serial reaction time (SRT) task performance that found similar procedural learning capabilities in younger and older subjects (Howard and Howard, 1989, 1992), younger and older subjects showed significant motor sequence learning on day 1 and consolidation of learnt motor sequence knowledge on day 2, irrespective of reward type in the current study

Summary

Introduction

The preservation of acquired as well as the acquisition of new motor skills are essential across the entire lifespan. The influence of reward on procedural and motor learning as well as on consolidation has been studied intensively (O’Doherty et al, 2001; Wickens et al, 2003; O’Doherty, 2004; Abe et al, 2011; Palminteri et al, 2011; Nikooyan and Ahmed, 2015). Another study showed a beneficial effect of monetary reward on procedural learning, but not on consolidation in a sample of young participants (Steel et al, 2016)

Methods

Results

Conclusion