Start vs reward in motivation

A macaque study shows the brain separates the circuitry that gets you to start a task from the circuitry that evaluates outcomes. Measurable signals (eye fixation, pupil dilation, basal‑ganglia firing) predict whether an animal will initiate an action even when the reward is unchanged, implying ‘procrastination’ may reflect initiation‑circuit failure rather than lack of reward value. — If initiation and valuation are distinct, policy and clinical responses (education, workplace incentives, addiction and depression treatments) need to target initiation mechanisms (habit scaffolds, micro‑activation cues, attentional ramps) rather than just raising rewards.