Goal-directed Actions Research Articles

Decreased Dorsomedial Striatum Direct Pathway Neuronal Activity Is Required for Learned Motor Coordination.

It has been suggested that the dorsomedial striatum (DMS) is engaged in the early stages of motor learning for goal-directed actions, whereas at later stages, control is transferred to the dorsolateral striatum (DLS), a process that enables learned motor actions to become a skill or habit. It is not known whether these striatal regions are simultaneously active while the expertise is acquired. To address this question, we developed a mouse "Treadmill Training Task" that tracks changes in mouse locomotor coordination during running practice and simultaneously provides a means to measure local neuronal activity using photometry. To measure change in motor coordination over treadmill practice sessions, we used DeepLabCut (DLC) and custom-built code to analyze body position and paw movements. By evaluating improvements in motor coordination during training with simultaneous neuronal calcium activity in the striatum, we found that DMS direct pathway neurons exhibited decreased activity as the mouse gained proficiency at running. In contrast, direct pathway activity in the DLS was similar throughout training. Pharmacological blockade of D1 dopamine receptors in these subregions during task performance demonstrated that dopamine neurotransmission in the direct pathway activity is necessary for efficient motor coordination learning. These results provide new tools to measure changes in fine motor skills with simultaneous recordings of brain activity and reveal fundamental features of the neuronal substrates of motor learning.

Bipolar Disorder after COVID-19 Infection: A Case Report from an Ethiopian Perspective

Introduction COVID-19 has been a sudden public health crisis since January 2020, spreading from the city of Wuhan, China, to the whole country within a month and posing serious threats to lives. The pandemic has a profound effect on all aspects of society, including mental health and physical health. The actual effect of the virus on the brain and possible psychiatric manifestations is still an area of study and further investigation. There are also several case reports showing manic like symptoms after COVID-19 infection. We describe the case of a 55-year-old patient who presented with behavioral and mood symptoms after a COVID-19 infection. Case Presentation. The patient presented with behavioral disturbance after a diagnosis of COVID-19. He exhibited symptoms including irritability, verbal and physical aggressiveness, increased goal-directed activity, elated and expansive mood, increased energy, grandiosity and inflated self-esteem, and decreased need for sleep. Findings on psychiatric evaluation encompassing detailed history and mental state examination suggested bipolar disorder due to COVID-19 infections. For this, he was put on sodium valproate 1000 mg per day and later, and he was discharged after 21 days with improvement. Conclusions This case highlights the importance of paying attention to psychiatric symptoms in patients with COVID-19 and the early intervention and involvement of psychiatrists especially in critically ill patients. In the present scenario, we urge physicians to pay attention to those cases and be open-minded for such a possible new diagnosis. We also recommend performing antibody tests for CSF and RNA tests for patients with mental abnormalities following COVID-19. Further studies can be performed to identify the relationship between COVID-19 and bipolar disorders.

Quran recitation as noise-induced aggression and resilience in animal model of depression

Introduction: This research analyzes the behavioral and biological concepts of depression, aggression, and resilience. It also analyzes the Quran recitation as a noise-inducer for aggression but also encouraging intervention for depression. Method: Experimental research with a post-test-only control group design created an agitated depression model in mice as a basis for understanding the biological concepts of aggression. Healthy mice (Mus musculus balb/c) aged 10-12 weeks, weighing 20-25 grams, were random-allocated into 9 (nine) groups, namely the control group (K_ negative, depression, and aggression), depression group (DP_1, 2, 3), and aggression group (AP_1, 2, 3). The tail suspension approach triggered helplessness to form a depression model. Quran recitation was performed above 60 decibels as noise exposure triggers agitation and forms an aggression model. QRP performed under 60 decibels was assumed to create a resilience model. Depression, aggression, and resilience were measured using an eight-arm radial maze (TM) and immobile time when hung (TG). After the intervention, mice were sacrified and the brains harvested. Normal cells were counted in the average of ten microscopic fields using 40x objective lens magnification and HE staining. Results: The QRP alleviated the psychomotor retardation in the depression group, while the aggression group experienced a goal-directed behavioral activation as the cognition increased with psychomotor calm. Neuron cells were significantly different among groups; the optimum QRP dose was an hour once a day. Conclusions: The QRP intervention can improve depression and aggression, but also a source of noise-induced stress at a higher frequency. These results should be carefully generalized and need further research.

Front and center: Maturational dysregulation of frontal lobe functional neuroanatomic connections in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Frontal lobe function may not universally explain all forms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) but the frontal lobe hypothesis described supports an internally consistent model for integrating the numerous behaviors associated with ADHD. The paper examines the developmental trajectories of frontal and prefrontal lobe development, framing ADHD as maturational dysregulation concluding that the cognitive, motor, and behavioral abilities of the presumptive majority of ADHD children may not primarily be disordered or dysfunctional but reflect maturational dysregulation that is inconsistent with the psychomotor and cognitive expectations for the child’s chronological and mental age. ADHD children demonstrate decreased activation of the right and middle prefrontal cortex. Prefrontal and frontal lobe regions have an exuberant network of shared pathways with the diencephalic region, also having a regulatory function in arousal as well as with the ascending reticular formation which has a capacity for response suppression to task-irrelevant stimuli. Prefrontal lesions oftentimes are associated with the regulatory breakdown of goal-directed activity and impulsivity. In conclusion, a presumptive majority of childhood ADHD may result from maturational dysregulation of the frontal lobes with effects on the direct, indirect and/or, hyperdirect pathways.

Prenatal dexamethasone exposure alters effort decision making and triggers nucleus accumbens and anterior cingulate cortex functional changes in male rats

Daily, individuals select actions based on cost-benefit to allocate resources into goal-directed actions. Different brain regions coordinate this complex decision, including the nucleus accumbens (NAc), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and ventral tegmental area (VTA). In utero exposure to synthetic glucocorticoids (iuGC), such as dexamethasone, triggers prominent motivation deficits but the impact of this exposure in the ACC-NAc and/or ACC-VTA circuits is unknown. Here, we show that iuGC exposure causes decreased motivation for natural rewards (food) and impaired effort-based decision-making. Importantly, reduced neuronal activation (number of c-fos+ neurons) was observed in the NAc core and ACC of iuGC rats in comparison to CTR rats after performing the effort-based decision-making task. In addition, iuGC treatment led to increased NAc and ACC basal neuronal activity. Electrophysiological recordings during optogenetic modulation of ACC terminals in the NAc revealed that the ACC-NAc circuit is dysfunctional in iuGC animals. These data suggest that iuGC animals present motivational and effort-based decision-making deficits that can be associated with the observed ACC-NAc dysfunction.

Understanding implicit sensorimotor adaptation as a process of proprioceptive re-alignment.

Multiple learning processes contribute to successful goal-directed actions in the face of changing physiological states, biomechanical constraints, and environmental contexts. Amongst these processes, implicit sensorimotor adaptation is of primary importance, ensuring that movements remain well-calibrated and accurate. A large body of work on reaching movements has emphasized how adaptation centers on an iterative process designed to minimize visual errors. The role of proprioception has been largely neglected, thought to play a passive role in which proprioception is affected by the visual error but does not directly contribute to adaptation. Here, we present an alternative to this visuo-centric framework, outlining a model in which implicit adaptation acts to minimize a proprioceptive error, the distance between the perceived hand position and its intended goal. This proprioceptive re-alignment model (PReMo) is consistent with many phenomena that have previously been interpreted in terms of learning from visual errors, and offers a parsimonious account of numerous unexplained phenomena. Cognizant that the evidence for PReMo rests on correlational studies, we highlight core predictions to be tested in future experiments, as well as note potential challenges for a proprioceptive-based perspective on implicit adaptation.

Impairments in goal-directed action and reversal learning in a proportion of individuals with psychosis

Cognitive impairment in psychosis is one of the strongest predictors of functional decline. Problems with decision-making processes, such as goal-directed action and reversal learning, can reflect cortico-striatal dysfunction. The heterogenous symptoms and neurobiology observed in those with psychosis suggests that specific cognitive phenotypes may reflect differing causative mechanisms. As such, decision-making performance could identify subgroups of individuals with more severe cortico-striatal dysfunction and help to predict their functional decline. The present work evaluated the relationship between goal-directed action, reversal learning, and symptom profiles in those with psychosis. We assessed decision-making processes in healthy controls (N = 34) and those with persistent psychosis (N = 45), subclassifying subjects based on intact/impaired goal-directed action. Compared with healthy controls (<20%), a large proportion (58%) of those with persistent psychosis displayed impaired goal-directed action, predicting poor serial reversal learning performance. Computational approaches indicated that those with impaired goal-directed action had a decreased capacity to rapidly update their prior beliefs in the face of changing contingencies. Impaired decision-making also was associated with reduced levels of grandiosity and increased problems with abstract thinking. These findings suggest that prominent decision-making deficits, indicative of cortico-striatal dysfunction, are present in a large proportion of people with persistent psychosis. Moreover, these impairments would have significant functional implications in terms of planning and abstract thinking.

Force and electromyography reflections of sensory action-effect weighting during pinching

Ideomotor theories suggest that different action-effects are not equally important in goal-directed actions, and that task-relevant information are weighted stronger during the representation of actions. This stronger weighting of task-relevant action-effects might also enable to utilize them as retrieval cues of the corresponding motor patterns. The aim of the present study was to investigate how the consistent presence or absence of a sound action-effect influenced the retrieval of the motor components of a simple, everyday action (pinching) as reflected by the pattern of force application and surface electromyogram (sEMG) recorded from the abductor pollicis brevis (APB) and first dorsal interosseous (FDI). Participants applied pairs of pinch impulses to a force sensitive resistor (FSR). The presence or absence of a sound action-effect and the between-action interval (BAI, 2 or 4s) were manipulated blockwise, whereas the target force level (low or high) was randomly cued from trial to trial. When actions resulted in a sound, force and sEMG activity were reduced. This effect was more pronounced for low target force level trials, which is compatible with a stronger weighting of the sound action-effect when the intensity of the tactile and proprioceptive action-effects is low. Surprisingly, the FDI activity was more variable within actions pairs in the 2s BAI conditions, which suggests that action pairs separated by the longer time interval might have been represented differently from those separated by the shorter interval.

Mistakes strengthen the temporal binding effect in the context of goal-directed actions.

Temporal binding is an illusion in which the temporal interval between two events appears compressed. In the context of intentional actions, this effect is observed as a compression of the perceived interval between these actions and their causal outcomes. This 'intentional binding effect' has been used to investigate the Sense of Agency, which is the experience of intentionally causing an outcome through volitional action. Intentional binding is reduced for negative outcomes such as error feedback, but the role of mistakes (e.g., errors of commission) for binding and agency has not been extensively studied. In our study, participants played a virtual game in which they attempted to 'splat' (hit) visual stimuli that looked like coloured bugs, using mouse clicks. On some trials, stimulus colours changed unpredictably immediately before actions were made, sometimes inducing mistakes. Actions were thus clearly identifiable as mistakes at the time of their onset before any outcome feedback had been provided. Participants reported shorter action-outcome intervals when stimuli changed, but only when this change caused a mistake according to the game's rules. This suggests that intentional binding is strengthened by errors of commission. We discuss how this effect may be accounted for by agency itself and via more general processes such as changes in arousal.

Chemogenetic Disconnection between the Orbitofrontal Cortex and the Rostromedial Caudate Nucleus Disrupts Motivational Control of Goal-Directed Action.

The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and its major downstream target within the basal ganglia—the rostromedial caudate nucleus (rmCD)—are involved in reward-value processing and goal-directed behavior. However, a causal contribution of the pathway linking these two structures to goal-directed behavior has not been established. Using the chemogenetic technology of designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs with a crossed inactivation design, we functionally and reversibly disrupted interactions between the OFC and rmCD in two male macaque monkeys. We injected an adeno-associated virus vector expressing an inhibitory designer receptor, hM4Di, into the OFC and contralateral rmCD, the expression of which was visualized in vivo by positron emission tomography and confirmed by postmortem immunohistochemistry. Functional disconnection of the OFC and rmCD resulted in a significant and reproducible loss of sensitivity to the cued reward value for goal-directed action. This decreased sensitivity was most prominent when monkeys had accumulated a certain amount of reward. These results provide causal evidence that the interaction between the OFC and the rmCD is needed for motivational control of action on the basis of the relative reward value and internal drive. This finding extends the current understanding of the physiological basis of psychiatric disorders in which goal-directed behavior is affected, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In daily life, we routinely adjust the speed and accuracy of our actions on the basis of the value of expected reward. Abnormalities in these kinds of motivational adjustments might be related to behaviors seen in psychiatric disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder. In the current study, we show that the connection from the orbitofrontal cortex to the rostromedial caudate nucleus is essential for motivational control of action in monkeys. This finding expands our knowledge about how the primate brain controls motivation and behavior and provides a particular insight into disorders like obsessive-compulsive disorder in which altered connectivity between the orbitofrontal cortex and the striatum has been implicated.

Discourse with few words: Coherence statistics, parent-infant actions on objects, and object names

ABSTRACT Early object name learning is often conceptualized as a problem of mapping heard names to referents. However, infants do not hear object names as discrete events but rather in extended interactions organized around goal-directed actions on objects. The present study examined the statistical structure of the nonlinguistic events that surround parent naming of objects. Parents and 12-month-old infants were left alone in a room for 10 minutes with 32 objects available for exploration. Parent and infant handling of objects and parent naming of objects were coded. The four measured statistics were from measures used in the study of coherent discourse: (i) a frequency distribution in which actions were frequently directed to a few objects and more rarely to other objects; (ii) repeated returns to the high-frequency objects over the 10-minute play period; (iii) clustered repetitions and continuity of actions on objects; and (iv) structured networks of transitions among objects in play that connected all the played-with objects. Parent naming was infrequent but related to the statistics of object-directed actions. The implications of the discourse-like stream of actions are discussed in terms of learning mechanisms that could support rapid learning of object names from relatively few name-object co-occurrences.

Targeting the lateral hypothalamus with short hairpin RNAs reduces habitual behaviour following extended instrumental training in rats

Instrumental actions are initially goal-directed but with repeated performance can become habitual. Habitual actions are adaptive, learned behaviours that are automated in order to reduce cognitive load and to allow for efficient interaction with the environment. Goal-directed and habitual actions are mediated by distinct neurocircuits which centre on the dorsal striatum and involve different cortical and limbic inputs. The lateral hypothalamus (LH) has yet to be considered in this neurocircuitry despite its anatomical connections with these neurocircuits and its established role in motivated behaviour. The aim of the current study was to determine whether the LH has a role in the development of habitual actions in rats by knocking down protein expression in the LH with short hairpin RNAs (shRNA). Two shRNAs were utilised, both of which were shown to reduce the expression of two neuropeptides within the LH, orexin and melanin-concentrating hormone, compared to a saline-vehicle control. This was unexpected given that one shRNA was a control vector (i.e, scrambled sequence), and the other shRNA was supposed to selectively target orexin’s precursor protein. Given this lack of specificity and that shRNA’s are known to be neurotoxic, the current study examined the impact of non-selective dysfunction of the LH on habitual actions. Adult male Long-Evans rats were trained to press a lever for a food outcome and were tested for goal directed and habitual behaviour following devaluation of the food. The shRNA groups displayed goal-directed actions following moderate instrumental training, but did not develop habitual actions following extended training. That is, control rats developed the expected habitual behaviour where lever-response rates were insensitive to outcome value when tested, whilst the shRNA groups reduced rates of responding on the lever under devalued conditioned and hence remained goal-directed. This failure to demonstrate habitual actions was unlikely to be secondary to changes in motivation or arousal as the shRNA groups did not show altered food consumption, body weight, lever response rates, or motor performance on a rota rod or tapered balance beam. However, locomotor activity was reduced in an open field test, consistent with the proposed role of the LH in spontaneous locomotor activity. Therefore, this study implicates the LH in habitual learning, and adds to the emerging evidence that the LH has a role in associative learning processes. This finding has implications for human conditions where there is dysfunction or neurodegeneration in the LH, as well as altered habitual actions, such as in Parkinson’s disease and drug addiction.

Alterations of Dopamine Receptors and the Adaptive Changes of L-Type Calcium Channel Subtypes Regulate Cocaine-Seeking Habit in Tree Shrew.

The putamen (Put) is necessary for habitual actions, while the nucleus caudate (Cd) is critical for goal-directed actions. However, compared with the natural reward (such as sucrose)-seeking habit, how drug-related dysfunction or imbalance between the Put and Cd is involved in cocaine-seeking habit, which is not easy to bias behavior to goal-directed actions, is absent. Therefore, in our present study, in comparison with sucrose-habitual behavior, we evaluated the distinctive changes of the two subtypes of dopamine (DA) receptors (D1R and D2R) in cocaine-seeking habitual behavior animals. Moreover, the adaptive changes of Cav1.2 and Cav1.3, as prime downstream targets of D1R and D2R respectively, were also assessed. Our results showed that a similar percentage of the animals exhibited habitual seeking behavior after cocaine or sucrose variable-interval self-administration (SA) training in tree shrews. In addition, compared with animals with non-habitual behavior, animals with cocaine habitual behavior showed higher D1Rs and Cav1.2 expression in the Put accompanied with lower D2Rs and Cav1.3 expression in the Cd. However, after sucrose SA training, animals with habitual behavior only showed lower membrane expression of D2R in the Put than animals with non-habitual behavior. These results suggested that the upregulation of D1Rs-Cav1.2 signaling may lead to hyper-excitability of the Put, and the inactivation of D2Rs-Cav1.3 signaling may result in depressed activity in the Cd. This imbalance function between the Put and Cd, which causes an inability to shift between habits and goal-directed actions, may underlie the compulsive addiction habit.

Variations of Sensorimotor Representation (Structure): The Functional Interplay between Object Features and Goal-Directed Grasping Actions.

This study investigated the structure of sensorimotor representations during goal-directed grasping actions and explored their relationship with object features. Sixteen 3D-printed spheres that varied in size (i.e., a diameter of 20 mm, 40 mm, 60 mm, 80 mm) and weight (i.e., 40 g, 52 g, 76 g, 91 g) were used as experimental stimuli. The Structural Dimensional Analysis of Mental Representation (SDA-M) method was used to assess the sensorimotor representation structure during grasping. Participants were instructed in each trial to weigh, lift, or transport sets of two different spheres and to judge the similarity of the objects’ features, taking into account the executed grasping movement. Each participant performed a total of 240 trials, and object presentation was randomized. The results suggest that the functional interplay between object features and goal-directed actions accounts for the significant variations in the structure of sensorimotor representations after grasping. Specifically, the relevance of the perceived objects’ size and weight is closely interrelated to the grasping task demands and movement dynamics of the executed action. Our results suggest that distinct sensorimotor representations support individual grasping actions according to top-down influences modulated by motor intentions, functional task demands, and task-relevant object features.

The importance of self-efficacy and negative affect for neurofeedback success for central neuropathic pain after a spinal cord injury

EEG-based neurofeedback uses mental behaviours (MB) to enable voluntary self-modulation of brain activity, and has potential to relieve central neuropathic pain (CNP) after a spinal cord injury (SCI). This study aimed to understand neurofeedback learning and the relationship between MB and neurofeedback success. Twenty-five non-CNP participants and ten CNP participants received neurofeedback training (reinforcing 9–12 Hz; suppressing 4–8 Hz and 20–30 Hz) on four visits. Participants were interviewed about the MB they used after each visit. Questionnaires examined the following factors: self-efficacy, locus of control, motivation, and workload of neurofeedback. MB were grouped into mental strategies (a goal-directed mental action) and affect (emotional experience during neurofeedback). Successful non-CNP participants significantly used more imagination-related MS and reported more negative affect compared to successful CNP participants. However, no mental strategy was clearly associated with neurofeedback success. There was some association between the lack of success and negative affect. Self-efficacy was moderately correlated with neurofeedback success (r = < 0.587, p = < 0.020), whereas locus of control, motivation, and workload had low, non-significant correlations (r < 0.300, p > 0.05). Affect may be more important than mental strategies for a successful neurofeedback performance. Self-efficacy was associated with neurofeedback success, suggesting that increasing confidence in one’s neurofeedback abilities may improve neurofeedback performance.

Stronger brain activation for own baby but similar activation toward babies of own and different ethnicities in parents living in a multicultural environment

Specific facial features in infants automatically elicit attention, affection, and nurturing behaviour of adults, known as the baby schema effect. There is also an innate tendency to categorize people into in-group and out-group members based on salient features such as ethnicity. Societies are becoming increasingly multi-cultural and multi-ethnic, and there are limited investigations into the underlying neural mechanism of the baby schema effect in a multi-ethnic context. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to examine parents’ (N = 27) neural responses to (a) non-own ethnic in-group and out-group infants, (b) non-own in-group and own infants, and (c) non-own out-group and own infants. Parents showed similar brain activations, regardless of ethnicity and kinship, in regions associated with attention, reward processing, empathy, memory, goal-directed action planning, and social cognition. The same regions were activated to a higher degree when viewing the parents’ own infant. These findings contribute further understanding to the dynamics of baby schema effect in an increasingly interconnected social world.

Facilitating Life-Enhancing Career in the Context of Significant Social Challenges and Changes: The Perspective of Goal-Directed Action

The problems and challenges people in both Eastern and Western societies face regarding life work and career are complex and in flux. These issues range from a neoliberal socio-economic climate to the increasing prevalence of the gig economy and part-time work. These problems, compounded by racism and social injustice, threaten the existential and moral commitment required not only for sustained work involvement but also for constructing a meaningful life. The neoliberal agenda appears to give pre-eminence to individual agency. However, at the same time, it challenges the joint collaborative and cooperative requirements needed to construct meaningful long-term carreers. These challenges to long-term career are elaborated. In this article, we address this problem by examining the conceptual link between short-term, goal-directed actions, mid-term projects and long-term career, in an approach known as contextual action theory. Essentially, this framework suggests that long-term career is constructed through in-the-moment goal-directed actions and mid-term projects, both of which require significant components to contribute to a meaningful and motivated career. This article provides the opportunity to examine the characteristics of contextual action theory that contribute to addressing the challenges to long term career, including goals as explanatory, relation to the other, the process of change, culture, and social justice. These characteristics are illustrated by referring to current research and practice that have emerged from contextual action theory.

What does it actually mean that Premotor Theory is about embodied attention?

ABSTRACT One of the most vigorously debated issues in attention labs concerns the nature of the coupling between the sensory-motor system and covert spatial attention. Proponents of the Premotor Theory of Attention (PToA) claim that attention should be accounted for in terms of motor preparation for goal-directed actions such as eye or hand movements. For others, it is a supramodal psychological entity that is independent of our sensorimotor machinery. Both parties also seek to articulate this controversy in terms of cognitive science as a question of whether attention is embodied or disembodied cognition. The PToA is thought to advocate the embodiment of attention. We, however, are inclined to think that a more nuanced view of this conceptual framework is needed to yield some insights into how radical it actually is in terms of embodied cognition (EC). We argue that PToA still seems to bear some features of weak embodiment. Yet we suggest that it has the potential to build a stronger concept of attention as EC, but somewhat paradoxically this would require giving attention deflationary treatment and reconstructing it in other terms. We propose that the notion of pre-reflective intentionality might serve as an inspiration to this end.

Diri untuk meningkatkan motivasi belajar pada remaja dengan conduct disorder

Conduct disorder is a common and highly destructive psychiatric disorder that usually appears in childhood or adolescence and is characterized by severe antisocial and aggressive behavior. In this case, the subject often started physical fights, stole small items without facing a victim, often went out at night even though his parents prohibited him from starting before 13 years old, often skipped school starting before the age of 13 years, and behavioral disorders causing significant stress or dysfunction. clinical social aspect. Meanwhile, learning motivation is defined as a process in which goal-directed learning activities are initiated and maintained. Subjects have low learning motivation which is indicated by the absence of perseverance to do assignments, lack of interest in learning, lack of independence to do assignments, lack of appreciation in learning, and lack of confidence and pleasure in solving problems in lessons. The assessment methods used were interviews, observation, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), graphic tests (DAP, BAUM, HTP), Saks Sentence Completion Test (SSCT), and self reports. The intervention used is self management. The result of the intervention is that the subject has been able to improve the behavior of doing the task from 0 times to 3 times in one week. Subjects were also able to reduce the intensity and duration of excessive play behavior from 4 times a week with a duration of more than 6 hours per day, to 2 times a week with a duration of 2-4 hours per day.

Persistence on Task, Executive Functions, and the Perceived Meaning of Occupations Among Children.

Persistence on task-the voluntary continuation of a goal-directed action despite difficulties-is described as a behavioral component of involvement in an occupation; however, it has not yet been extensively studied in the context of pediatric occupational therapy. To describe persistent children, compared with their less persistent peers, in terms of age, sex, executive functions (EF), and perceived meaning of occupations and to assess whether intrapersonal factors, EF, and the perceived meaning of occupations can predict persistence. Cross-sectional. A community in Israel. Typically developing healthy children (N = 180) ages 6.0 to 12.5 yr and their parents. The Tower of Hanoi task (TOH; seven discs) was used to assess persistence on task. EF were assessed with the TOH (three discs) and the Verbal Working Memory test. Occupational meaning-challenge, value, sense of time, and autonomy-was assessed with the Perceived Meaning of Occupation Questionnaire. Twenty-six children (14%) completed the task. They were older than their peers, performed better on most of the EF tests, and perceived more autonomy in their everyday activities (Mann-Whitney U = 1,185.0, p < .001). However, only the perceived autonomy of occupations was found to be a statistically significant factor that predicted persistence on task (B = -0.12, SE = 0.05, Wald = 7.60, p = .01). Perceived autonomy in everyday activities is crucial for persistence on task. Occupational therapy practitioners can promote children's involvement and persistence in cognitive tasks by supporting a sense of autonomy in everyday activities, although further study is needed. What This Article Adds: This article highlights the contribution of perceived autonomy in everyday activities to children's involvement and persistence on task by providing empirical data on children's persistence on task with regard to their EF and perceived meaning of occupations. Children who persisted longer and completed tasks differed from their less persistent peers in terms of age and EF. However, perceived autonomy in everyday activities was the only predictor of task completion.