Laboratoire des Neurosciences Cognitives (UMR 7291)
Federation 3C
Aix-Marseille Université & CNRS
Funded by
Functional neuroanatomy of timing and temporal prediction
In a series of fMRI investigations, we have found that explicitly estimating stimulus duration typically engages a fronto-striatal network, comprising SMA, right prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia. On the other hand, using available temporal information (e.g. rhythms, attentional cues) to predict when an event will occur in order to optimise processing of that event activates left inferior parietal cortex. The unidirectional flow of time itself (“time’s arrow”) also contains temporally predictive information, allowing expectations to be updated on-line as a function of elapsing time. We have found that as the expectation of event onset heightens with increased waiting time (“hazard function”), activity increases in both left inferior parietal cortex and right prefrontal cortex. Taken as a whole, the neuroanatomical differences revealed by fMRI underline a functional distinction between the perceptual processes underpinning explicit duration estimation and the attentional processes underlying temporal prediction.
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