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

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 assessed the rate of adaptation following the introduction of this perturbation, and the rate of deadaptation following its removal. While results showed reliable adaptation patterns and similar adaptation rates across both conditions, individuals in the novelty condition showed slower deadaptation. This suggests that exposure to spatial novelty induced stronger sensorimotor representations during adaptation, potentially through novelty-induced dopaminergic effects in mesocortical and/or nigrostriatal pathways. Novelty exposure may be employed to promote motor learning on tasks that require precision movements in altered sensory contexts, for example, in astronauts moving in microgravity or patients with impaired motor processing.