Motivational state determines error-sensitive learning modes in visual perceptual learning

Abstract Learning from outcomes can rely on distinct computational processes, but how internal motivational states shape these processes during visual perceptual learning (VPL) remains unclear. We investigated how fasting versus satiety modulates feedback processing during an orientation discrimination task with identical reward contingencies, using functional MRI. Both fasted and non-fasted participants showed significant VPL. However, only the fasted group exhibited enhanced post-error accuracy, reflecting increased sensitivity to error information without significantly greater net learning. At the neural level, whole-brain analyses revealed state-dependent dissociations: during fasting, decision-locked activity in the ventral striatum decreased from pre- to post-training, consistent with attenuated prediction-error signaling as outcomes became predictable, whereas under satiety, learning was accompanied by declining activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, suggesting reduced reliance on executive control. Region-of-interest analyses further showed that fasting selectively enhanced feedback-related responses to incorrect outcomes in dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and primary visual cortex, and these error-related responses were associated with individual differences in perceptual improvement. Together, these results demonstrate that while VPL emerges under both motivational states, motivational state determines how learning is expressed, with fasting promoting error-sensitive, outcome-monitoring learning regime and satiety favoring a more control-driven mode of performance optimization.